Do You Homeschool?

Do you home school?.... And Do you want to buy brand new curriculum every year and pay next to nothing?

Here's just a tip of what I do. During the school year my kids do not write in their book at all, we use regular lined paper and all answers go on that.

Then I take and sell their old books on ebay and make enough money selling these books to go and purchase new books for the next school year.

I also "hand me down books" from my oldest child to my youngest.

Each year I spend less then $50 on both kids! And this includes books and supplies (paper, pens, pencils...etc..) And the kids both use new items. We use A Beka Books  www.abeka.com . And if your are interested in a top of the line Christian Based education I highly recommend it. We love it!

Savings Coupon Bug

Since I began couponing years ago, I saved a little bit here and there. Thanks to my mother in law saving the coupons for me.

Since this new "Couponing Craze" began.. I started investigating...

And now I save AT LEAST 50% off my total bill. And where I live this is great because none of the stores around here double coupons.

Plus I have begun a huge stock pile for my emergency food storage!

I do as you see on TV...  I have all my coupons clipped and sorted in plastic baseball card holder sheets. I have ads from every store around. I always use 2 coupons on buy 1 get 1 items! I tend to shop ONLY sale items. And I do spend hours matching and comparing and planning my strategy. And it pays off...

Last week for example, my bill total was $168... and I spent a grand total of $53.  Plus I received a $5 off  coupon on my next trip and gas rewards (at winn dixie)... I just wish we had a store in the area that doubled coupons... I could be spending next to nothing.... ahhh to dream.....

I also broke my order down to use coupons more effectively. Because in last weeks flier for Winn Dixie, it had a $5 off coupon, off of $30 or more. And you could only use it 1 per transaction.. So I just went through 5 times..lol

I may suggest to you visiting these few sites... for printable coupons and deals!

www.Coupons.com
www.moneysavingmom.com
www.redplum.com

I have also learned to go on ebay... and actually buy already clipped coupons... real cheep!

So tomorrow when the coupons come out as you are watching t.v. clip away and save your family BIG BUCKS. I wonder why on earth I never knew this before now...Think of all the money we could have been saving...

Scared or Prepared.... Which will you be?

With everything that's going on now.. Poor Economy, Terrorists, Hurricane Season,  Fires, "2012 Fears", the latest I have been hearing is the suns activity...you name it... It is NOT pretty out there..

And quite honestly it never has been or never will be... life is life.. It's how you deal with what ever happens that truly matters. Soo....

Isn't being prepared a good idea?

What is a prepper... A survivalist or "prepper" is an individual or group that prepares or makes preparations in advance of, or prior to, any change in normal circumstances or lifestyle without significant reliance on other persons (i.e., being self-sufficient), or without substantial assistance from outside resources (e.g. government) in order to minimize the effects of that change on their current lifestyle.( thanks wikipedia for that definition)

Do you know our grandparents were always prepared.. Most grew their own gardens, many canned food in preparation for the winter, quite often they had their own wells for water.

We cannot live life and expect others to be there to save us. Here is some ideas to get started with.. do it little by little.. each time you go shopping buy one thing extra.

Think about it...Are you prepared if something like in Japan happened in your area. I live in Florida and I know we are at the start of hurricane season..

Are you prepared if a police man came to your door and said get out you have 10 minutes? We live in Florida.. a fire might be coming and we may be evacuated.

Do You have a 72 hour Emergency Kit for each Family member (and don't forget our 4 legged family members)?
----- 3 days of clothes for your entire family
----- water to cook with, clean with, bathe with
----- food for 3 days
----- a way to cook that food for 3 days
----- dishes to eat from
----- warm blankets for colder nights
----- toiletries
----- medical kit
----- something to keep young children occupied and comforted
----- copies of important documents (so your not searching for
them and or possibly forgetting something important)ie.. birth
certificates, licenses, insurance cards, bank account numbers

***Remember this kit has to be easily accessible and each member should
have their own back pack stored away, so if an emergency came all
you do is say "grab your emergency kit".. And you can be out the door.
Think of the peace of mind you will have if this occurs.. And you
can handle it without fear or worry because you are prepared.

What about an Emergency contact or Location.... What if something happens and we cannot call out. Remember 9/11/01 and cells were crazy busy. Do you and your family all have a place to meet if you cannot meet at your home for whatever reason. Do you all have a long distance contact person set up..So if local calling is a problem you all know to call Aunt Sally in Idaho and she will pass the word around.

Do you have a weather radio? They now have a special band on these radios so you only need to have it tuned into your area. You can leave it plugged in all the time and the alarm will go off  if something is in your area. We just bought a really great one from Ace Hardware for about $90. It is amazing.. It plugs in the wall, is solar powered, battery powered, and crank powered, has the weather radio, regular radio, short wave radio, spots for your cell phone to plug in and charge, USB port, Alarm clock, flash light. Its truly remarkable. Its an ETON. And its recommended and sponsored by the American Red Cross.

What if power is out because of a hurricane for a week or possibly more..
Do you have food and water to last you a week? Or will you be those sad people waiting for FEMA to rescue them... (remember how well that went during Katrina)

Don't forget a way to cook that food without power? Propane eventually runs out of our grills.. so make sure you have ample supply.. maybe even some charcoal... matches (Waterproof matches are the best) and you can make your own of those real easy!

Here are some prepping sites..All are interesting to look at some do go to an extreme. But knowledge is knowledge...

www.FoodStorageMadeEasy.Net... Excellent site.. If you want they will send you an email every 2 weeks of something to do in order to complete your prepping in a timely fashion. I believe if I remember correctly first weeks email was working on your 72 hour kits.

www.floridadisaster.org/family This is an awesome site. This site is sponsored by State of Florida and you put in your info and they tell you what you need! ! They will even give you evacuation routes for your area. (Thanks Mindy for this site!)

www.prepper.org

www.floridapreppersnetwork.com

Please start something.. After all isn't it better to be safe... Then sorry and scared...

Beating Summer Boredom!

Are the kids yelling "I'm Bored"?

Are you ready to have school start again???

Here are some fun "Inexpensive" beat the summer blues ideas...

...Make a Fort... In Your Family Room... Get old boxes and sheets and chairs.. Let the kids be creative, they will play with this all day!

...Become Pirates for the Day... Have kids design an old ratty tee-shirt with markers, tie a long sock around their head like an eye patch, talk the pirate talk.....aye matey.. Draw out a secret treasure map with clues leading to find a secret surprise of your choice.

...Design an obstacle Course... Swing three times, run around the tree, run up the slide... you get my idea... And time them.. and the challenge can be for your child to beat his or her own time...

...Create your own Family Board Game... Give the kids a piece of cardboard, some markers, dice, and let them go... to make a game... Make sure they write the rules of their game down so their is no issues.. And then play it as a family!

...Have a Sand Castle Building Contest... Or a mud pie contest... Whether it be parents against kids or everyman for themselves.. Have fun at the beach with this lil challenge.. My kids loved this one!

...Scavenger Hunt... Make a crazy list of things the kids need to acquire... Something red and smaller then my hand... Or something blue and bumpy... Who knows be creative....

...Go to the Local Library... Most Library's have cool summer programs for the kids.. Look into your local branch!

...Get outside and educational... Go visit local historical sites!... Something to do, educational, and cheep...Win Win Win

...Create a surprise Bag... Have kids write five fun inexpensive ideas on five small pieces of paper.. Put them all in a bag and once or twice a week pick one of there ideas out of the bag and have a fun family day..

...Open the Craft drawer for Imagination... We all have those left over crafts in a junk drawer or closet.. Let the kids bust it open and create art of their choice..

...Have a movie Marathon... Gets some good buttery popcorn and rent a movie series... and watch movies snuggled up with your little ones for an afternoon.. Enjoy this time.. They grow up sooo fast.

Enjoy the summer with your youngin's they're only little for a little while =)

Miserly Tips!

So ladies and Gents.. today I was reading an article on miserlymoms.com.. AWESOME site lots of cool tips and GREAT recipe ideas! Here are a few pointers I got from it.. Some I knew..Others I didn't...Enjoy saving money! !

1.) Need Glass cleaner... a lil bit of Vinegar diluted in a spray bottle of water... (you can even use your empty Glass Cleaner Bottle) smell of vinegar lingers for just a little bit

2.) Vinegars also great in the dishwasher as a rinse aid

3.) Vinegar diluted in water cleans floors

4.) Vinegar diluted in water cleans windows

5.) Fabric Softener is way too expensive... so buy a bottle of liquid softener.. dilute it with water at a ratio of 4 parts water 1 part softener.... mix it up in a bucket.... put a few sponges in it.... and each time you dry your clothes grab a sponge give it a lil squeeze and toss it in your dryer... easy WORKS and cheep!

6.) Cloth diapers seem the way to go.. I have a few friends with babies and they all highly recommend them if your are trying to save $$$

7.) If your like me ..you use your printer.. well here's a tip... save the old junk paper you have printed and that would typically be trash.. and the kids can use the back to work out math problems as scratch paper.. can draw on them as art paper... and you can use them for note taking or list making .

8.) You can use an empty hand soap bottle next to your laundry basket as a pretreater for your laundry. Just fill it with some laundry soap.. When you get a stain..squirt some out ..rub it in on the stain.. and it will be ready for Laundering

9.) Want to stretch your hamburger's.... add a little bit of bread crumbs.. or oatmeal to it... And then grill them up... It will actually help them from falling apart as well...!

10.) Any one still use hairspray?? Remember this tip... don't throw away a shirt cause it has pen ink on it... Spray it with Hairspray, rinse, then launder it.

11.) Don't be afraid of the second hand store for clothes! Especially for your kids who will stain them up and ruin them... You can get brand name items for a BUCK! So what if they were "hand me downs" take them home and wash them =)

12.) This ones gonna sound silly... Put a clean 1 quart mayonnaise jar or pickle jar in your toilet tank to conserve the amount of toilet water with each flush... hehehee I like this one and may try it myself!

Hope these little tips help.. As I said I just read them haven't been able to try them all out.. Let me know what you think =)

Bread Recipe I used.... Simple and Successful!

Yummy and Delicious... and the Kids and I had a blast... and Oh Yea... EASY to do! !

Beginners White Bread

Makes 2 Loaves
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 envelopes Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast OR Active Dry Yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine


Directions
If using RapidRise Yeast:
In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, milk, and butter until very warm (120° to 130°F); stir into flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in 1 cup flour; beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half to 12 x 7-inch rectangle. Beginning at short end of each rectangle, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place, seam sides down, in greased 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch loaf pans. Cover; let rise in warm, draft free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Remove from pans; cool on wire rack.

Are you Self Sufficient??

In wake of the huge earthquake in Japan, the Tsunami, the nuclear problems Japan's having, the gas prices, the economy, the messed up government, the fall of our U S dollar, the children of today and their lack of morals, the Book of Revelation, even the "doomsday predictions"...

It all got me thinking.. Am I self sufficient.

If I suddenly had to care for my family with no money, no stores, no power, no water for a week could I?? What about a month?? Six months?? .....

Could I do it. Could my family survive whats happening in Japan today.

So that is my quest. To say certainly YES. We could do it.

We began some time back with a food storage, I am learning how to do things the way Grandma and Grampa used to do... Growing my own food and canning it. Making my own fresh delicious bread! And of course Strawberry Jam was a hug sucess! All the while teaching these things to my children as we go..

I am basically getting all my "ducks in a row" just in case something happens... as it did in Japan..

... And it cant hurt.. So why not.

I'll keep you all up to date and post recipes and sites of everything I learn... I want all my friends and loved ones prepared... Just in case.. No one knows the future.. I pray nothing bad does happen! But I can assure... My family and I will be OK. And I hope you all follow along and will be as well. =)