March 2, 2010 | Posted by admin
Fantastic Picnics On A Budget
Do you love picnics? I do and having fantastic picnics on a budget is easier than you think!
Picnics are a form of entertainment that is almost completely free. If you drive somewhere, you have the fuel cost, and of course the food cost, but other than that they are completely free.
And did I mention fun? Or Romantic? Picnics are fun for families and can be very romantic for couples.
I know my children loved picnics when they were little and they didn’t even really care what the food was that was in the picnic basket! Here is how to make it fun no matter how broke you are.
First of all you don’t have to have some fancy picnic basket. For years I carried one that I had gotten at a garage sale for $5.00. Once it wore out, I used a very large tote bag which worked beautifully. My friend used a large gym bag.
You will also need a blanket unless you are going where the picnic tables are. My family loved eating on the ground on the blanket. And if you don’t want to worry with an ice chest, just put your drinks in thermoses.
For children some simple foods are sandwiches, fried chicken, or even Vienna sausages and crackers. Whatever you have on hand will probably be accepted with glee. In the hot summer time you can take the kids for a breakfast picnic and serve them muffins and milk.
On family picnics you can also take some games to play with the children. Board games are good and also active games like ball or Frisbee throwing.
Fantastic picnics for a romantic evening can really become creative. A drive into the country or to a park that is safe and well lit. Or even a picnic on the floor in front of the fireplace at home!
For romance you can take a bottle of sparkling soda and drink it in wine glasses to make it seem romantic. I like to take cheese and bread or crackers and maybe some grapes. Sandwiches are good for the romantic picnic too.
Spring is just around the corner so see what fantastic picnics you can do on a budget.
Categories: Helpful Home Hints | 
Tags: budget picnics, picnic basket, picnics, picnics on a budget | 
2 Comments »
March 2, 2010 | Posted by admin
Can Movies Help Our Mental State?
How much do you know about the way movies affect out minds? Can movies help our mental state? Take the quiz now for the answers!
Categories: Helpful Home Hints | Tags: | No Comments »
February 25, 2010 | Posted by admin
Precious Memories
Scrap booking cost you a bundle? Scrap booking is such a fun hobby to have but it can also be costly. There are papers, stickers, punches, cutters, and much more to buy if you really want to do it up right.
Some of the tools are necessary but there are ways to make your pages really pop without spending a lot of money. I have been scrap booking for about five years and my budget did not always include enough to buy all the tools and papers that ladies in my scrap book club had.
Before getting into those money saving items I will tell you a little about how being in my scrap book club helps save me money. The woman who heads up the club charges $10.00 a month if you come to the crop, but it is $10.00 well spent.
Everyone who attend has access to all her punches, cutters, sticker makers, and even her Cricut! It saves everyone from having to buy the same items and makes scrap booking more fun. Also all the ladies are so good about sharing. If you need a brown piece of paper but don’t have it, someone else usually does and will give it to you.
Now we will go on to some money saving ideas for your scrap book pages. A lot of the items I use can be found at thrift stores and garage sales. I was in a thrift store one day and saw some upholstery samples about one foot square. There were all kinds of beautiful designs and the store person sold them to me for ten cents a piece!. I have used these to cover a page and put pictures on them and they look fantastic!
One item you probably would never think about is napkins. Different kinds of specialty or party napkins make beautiful backgrounds and paper for your pages. Just save all your napkins from parties and church functions you go to because some day it may be just the look you need for your page.
Save pretty buttons too for decorating your pages. They look great and are so easy to come across. I have taken buttons off old clothes or even bought clothes at a garage sale for twenty-five cents, just to get the buttons.
Last on my list is stickers. I like to print free clip art off my computer and run them through a sticker maker for my stickers. This way you can get the exact theme you need.
I am sure there are probably more ways to save on scrapbooks so put your mind to work and just have fun with it.
Categories: Helpful Home Hints | Tags: helpful hints, save money, scrap booking, scrapbook paper, stickers | 2 Comments »
February 20, 2010 | Posted by admin
The Benefits of Having A Small Garden
The benefits of having a small garden are many and practical. You may think you do not have enough room for a garden, but I am here to tell you that it does not take as much room as you think. Most people only want to plant four or five items and that does not take up much room unless you are planting items like green beans or peas. And those items can be done in a small place if you have the right kind of trellis for it to climb up. Finding room is worth the resulting benefits!
Pick out some of your favorite vegetables that you hate paying high prices for at the super market and plant those items. My family loves home grown tomatoes and you know how high those can get at the grocery store! We always plant tomatoes, okra, bell peppers, and squash for sure. Occasionally we plant watermelons, however watermelons do not seem to do well where I live.
Nothing in the world taste better than picking your vegetables right off the vine, cooking them on the stove, and then eating them at the table! Fresh food just has a different taste than food that has been transported to the store several days or even a week earlier. Most vegetables are picked a little before they are ripe just so they will not ruin by the time you get to the store.
Some other benefits of having a small garden are saving money at the store, the feeling of achievement it gives you to eat something you have grown, and getting outside to work it and the exercise it brings. In case you are not aware, having a garden can be work! But you can make that work pay off for a long time. Be sure and freeze and can up your extra vegetables to eat during the winter months.
All the benefits listed above are great reasons in themselves for having a small garden, but the bests reason of all is that it taste so deliciously good!
If you would like a free copy of the 130 page e-book “Every Step In Canning” then just fill out the information below.
Categories: Garden, Helpful Home Hints | Tags: Garden, grow vegetables, vegetables | 1 Comment »
February 20, 2010 | Posted by admin
I had some wonderful comments left here today on different post and my system deleted them all instead of saving them. If you are one of those people, please post again as I am interested in what you had to say and I know others would like to here it too.
Thanks to all my subscribers and posting friends. Please look through all the post. I hope you find something you can use. 
Categories: Helpful Home Hints | Tags: | No Comments »
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