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Monday WAHM Spotlight:A Natural Home

Monday, August 21st, 2006

Name: Susie Little

City/State: Fredericktown, OH

Name of Company: A Natural Home

Two or Three Sentences About Your Company:

Manufacturer of Organic cotton bedding and furniture. The ultimate in cottage based industry. Every family we work with, works from home.

Two Tips for Moms Trying to Work-At-Home (these tips can be how you stay organized, how to be successful, how to get started- anything that you feel would help someone just starting out):

1. Learn to delegate…. even if it is jobs around the house. Do not try to be supermom (I have been there, even have the mug to prove it)

2. Hire people even if it is part time to help when you get overwhelmed.

**If you are interested in being featured, we will be selecting a mom for each Monday of my blog. You can read more and apply. Email confirmations are sent to each mom if they are chosen. Please remember to do your own research on these companies. If there are obvious red flags on BBB, I do not post them. Check my scam article to find out more about the potential dangers of work-at-home businesses.**

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WFMW: Say NO to Hand Cramps!

Wednesday, August 16th, 2006

Good morning and welcome to this edition of Works-For-Me Wednesday. As always, may I please redirect you over to Miss Shannon’s blog, where you have the opportunity to read a hundred and one solutions for your family? Please take a minute to stop by her site!

Today I would like to share one of my other fun free obsessions- address labels. I get a lot of these in the mail and I use them for so many different things.

I keep a stash in my purse and use them when I go to get my film developed. It saves me from writing my address out over and over again on those little envelopes.

If you are traveling, it is a quick way to fill out paperwork and to make luggage tags for yourself.

I put address labels on a set of containers that I use to take meals over to people. This particularly helps out the tired new mommies, who are bombarded with fifty casseroles and can’t remember whose dish is whose.

Tack an address label onto your cell phone, address book, day planner, and coupon organizer. These are definitely items that you would want to have back if you lost them.

If you would prefer another free kind of stamp, there are also free self-inking address stamps. I have used mine until I literally have to throw all of my weight down over the envelope to get it to stamp. This is after three years of regular use and abuse in our house though. If you are looking for a self-inking address stamp, I absolutely love using VistaPrint. Many of the items on there only cost you shipping…and it is legitimate! One stamp is free, to buy two is $4.99. Slow shipping is only $5.25. For $5.25, you could save yourself from those horrible hand cramps and writing your address over and over again on your bills. Just think of how much time you will save around the holidays. No writing over and over your address on your American Express, Visa, and Mastercard bills. What a huge timesaver! Oh, and don’t forget the holiday card exchange- who wants to write that ten thousand times.

My husband actually ordered business cards for me one year, from this company, and got them for me as a Christmas gift. If you want to make your wife feel like a million bucks, make up a business card with her name and website on it. You could not have gotten me a better present. I have a whole box of them and I tuck them in my wallet so when someone finds out what I do (usually by my bragging tone or the way I keep dropping the fact that I work), I can just whip one of these little cards out so they are more likely to visit my website.

Speaking of business cards, you can make those up for free through VistaPrint too! I have been toying with the idea of getting a free set of these with our family information on it. I can’t tell you how many times I make friends when our family is out and about or we run into old friends at a store. It would be great to have our information on a card so that I can just hand that to them instead of trying to find a scrap piece of paper in my purse to write our phone number and address on.

If you are interested in VistaPrint, you can actually get ten percent cash back through Ebates. I will stop preaching about signing up for Ebates (because who doesn’t want some free cash back on their purchases?), but I will say that I have over thirty-five bucks in my account since I signed up a couple of months ago. That just goes to show that you don’t have to be a big spender to reap the rewards. If you would like to read some of my past sermons on Ebates, you can read one here and one here.

Thanks for visiting my little smorgasbord of ideas. I hope that you found them helpful! Feel free to browse around the blog and our website. Solutions for families are my cup of tea!

Past WFMW entries:
Foamy Soap
Adventures in Shipping
Frugal Exercise Solutions
Microfiber Obsessions
Sand Between Your Toes Blues
Giving the Gift of Magazines (Frugally)
Solution for Cheap Trash Bags
Programming Your Cell Phone
Free Up Pantry Space: Make a Snack
Weeding Through Your Child’s Art Work Creatively
Using the Coffee Maker With Ease
Making Your Spice Rack Usable
Maximizing Space

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Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments »

This Week in Festivals & Carnivals

Tuesday, August 15th, 2006

Here is what is happening in this week’s carnivals & festivals.

The Carnival of Debt Reduction is over at No Credit Needed.
Must Read Article: How I Reduced My Credit Card Interest Rates (they used Prosper.com, which is a people-to-people lending service that I had never heard of).

The Carnival of Family Life was hosted by Tired but Happy.
MotherLoad Article: Back-to-School Lunch Ideas
Must Read Article: The Best Financial Advice My Family Members Gave Me (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one! Kira teaches us what we should be taking the time to do with our very own children, when talking about finances with them)

The Festival of Frugality was hosted by our favorite celebrities this week. People like Bob Saget, Chuck Norris, & Fred Flinstone all share their extremely unique points of view on the festival this week. I must say that Mel Gibson did the best job out of all of them. Punny Money totally cracked me up today!
MotherLoad Article: Making Your Own Foamy Soap
Must Read Article: Craiglist First Impressions: Lots of Scammers (interesting read as they have just added our area to this free classifieds resource list).

The Carnival of Personal Finance was hosted over at Get Rich Slowly.
MotherLoad Article: Adventures in Shipping
Must Read Article: Keep track of 95% of Your Accounts in 1 Place (he shares about an online service called Yodlee, which again, I had never heard of. Looks like a great thing to look into!).

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Aldi Supermarket: Price Sheet & Store Information

Tuesday, August 15th, 2006

I put together a list of pricing, last year, of items at Aldi Supermarket. I am posting the information here and providing you a list of all the prices on the items that Aldi carries. I do want to say, I am in no way affiliated with or receive any benefits from promoting Aldi Supermarket. I am just a mom who happens to love shopping there and saving our family money. The prices listed are what they were this past winter- the pricing may have changed, however, Aldi usually does not do a dramatic change in their pricing so this should be an accurate portrayal of their current prices. The items that have a star next to them are items that are carried seasonally or the item prices change according to the season/farmers. They may or may not be available at the time you come to visit the store.

The sizing and prices are listed on the items as best as I could do. If you do not like the arrangement or the ordering, feel free to do changes on your own sheet. I literally spent three straight hours on a Sunday afternoon working on this. I was leaning over stacks of food (with my big pregnant belly) trying to write everything down on top of random cans. I hope that this work will benefit someone out there!!

If you are unhappy with a product from Aldi PLEASE do not email me. I cannot tell you how many “Dear Aldi,” emails that I receive. If you are dissatisfied with a product from this store, take it back to your local store. They do not have an email address or anyone who can answer your phone calls. Bring the item back to the store and receive another item for free plus your money back. That is how it works and I have no control over refunds or if your store no longer carries a particular item. Like I said, I do not work for the store- so sorry!

If you are looking for more information on Aldi Supermarket, please visit our articles on MomAdvice.com. Here are a few that are related to this store:

Aldi Supermarket: The Real Deal?
Aldi Menu Planner
Aldi Fall/Winter Menu Planner

Feel free to add to our list in the comments section. See a new product? Tried something you loved? Tried something you absolutely hated? Share away! Please share our site and our blog with your friends. You all keep my site up and running & help to motivate me to continue doing what I am doing here in the internet world.

Aldi Item Pricing:

Breakfast Foods

Grandessa Syrup- maple praline or wild blueberry
12 ounce
2.29

Aunt Maples Lite Syrup
24 ounce
0.89

Millville Quick Oats
42 ounce
1.39

Millville Crisp Rice
13.5 ounce
1.69

Millville Sugar Frosted Flakes
20 ounce
1.69

Toaster Tarts
12 count
1.69

Millville Bite-Size Shredded Wheat
1.69

Millville Marshmallow & Stars Cereal
1.69

Millville Apple-Cinnamon Crispy Oat Cereal
15 ounce
1.69

Millville Cinnamon Grahams Cereal
14.4 ounce
1.69

Dairy

Gold Hen Grade A Eggs
12 eggs
0.69

Friendly Farms Whipped Cream (aersol)
7 ounce
1.29

Natures Nectar Premium OJ
64 ounce
1.69

Friendly Farms Sour Cream
16 ounce
0.99

Friendly Farms Lo-Fat Cottage Cheese
24 ounce
1.69

Friendly Farms Cream Cheese
8 ounce
0.99

Buehlers Buttermilk Biscuits
7.5 ounce
0.25

Happy Farms Shredded Cheese- Colby, Monterey Jack, & Mexican
12 ounce
2.49

Happy Farms Shredded Cheese- Cheddar or Mozzarella
16 ounce
2.69

Casa Mamita Refrigerated Flour Tortillas
12.5 ounce
0.69

Lynder Cheese Singles
10.67 ounce
0.79

Happy Farms Butter Quarters
16 ounce
2.29

*Milk- 2%
1 gallon
2.19

Fit & Active Lite Yogurts
8 ounce
0.35

Happy Farms Butter Quarters
4 per package
2.29

Produce

Caesar or Italian Salad Mix
10 ounce
1.49

Fresh Farms Garden Salad
16 ounce
0.79

Fresh Express Flat Leaf Spinach
9 ounce
1.29

Avocados
1 each
0.79

Baby Watermelons (Seedless)
1 each
2.29

*Grape Tomatoes
10 ounce
1.79

*Strawberries
16 ounce
1.79

*Cabbage
1 each
1.19

*Iceberg Lettuce
1 each
1.19

*Cauliflower
1 each
1.99

*Broccoli Crowns
14 ounce
1.79

*Green Peppers
20 ounce
1.69

*Multi-Colored Peppers
20 ounce
2.29

*Celery
1 each
1.29

*Cucumbers
1 each
0.49

*Carrots
1 each
0.79

*Cantaloupe
1 each
2.29

*Pineapple
1 each
2.29

Anjou Pears
28 ounce
1.29

*Lemon or Limes
1 each
0.25

*Apples- Roma, Glaa, Red Delicious)
3 pounds
1.49

*Grapefruit
1 each
0.49

*Navel Oranges
4 pounds
1.89

*Bananas
1 pound
0.29

*Onions
3 pounds
0.79

*Russet Potatoes
10 pounds
1.69

Baking Potatoes
5 pounds
1.49

Red Potatoes
3 pounds
1.49

Fresh Garlic
6 ounce
0.79

*Portabella Mushroom Caps
2 per pack
1.99

Baking Supplies

Carlini Canola Oil
48 ounce
1.79

Carlini Corn Oil
48 ounce
1.79

Carlini Vegetable Oil
48 ounce
1.59

Carlini Vegetable Shortening
48 ounce
1.59

Carlini Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
16.9 ounce
3.29

Carlini Olive Oil
16.9 ounce
2.29

Baker’s Corner Lite Corn Syrup
32 ounce
1.19

Friendly Farms Dry Milk
64 ounce
6.99

Baker’s Corner Frosting- choc, milk choc, vanilla, or cream cheese
16 ounce
0.99

Baker’s Corner Cake Mix- yellow, devil’s food
18.5 ounce
0.69

Baker’s Corner Fudge Brownie Mix
19.8 ounce
0.99

Baker’s Corner Marshmallow Crème
7 ounce
0.79

Toasty Puffs Mini Marshmallows
10.5 ounce
0.59

No Bake Cheesecake (include filling & crust)
11.5 ounce
1.59

Mr. Pudding Instant Pudding- choc or vanilla
3.5 ounce
0.29

Baker’s Corner Graham Cracker Crust
6 ounce
0.89

Baker’s Corner Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
12 ounce
0.99

Southern Grove Walnuts
16 ounce
3.29

Southern Grove Pecan Halves
6 ounce
2.49

Sebree Iodized Salt
26 ounce
0.25

Sweet Harvest California Seedless Rasins
15 ounce
1.69

Spice Club Garlic Powder
3.5 ounce
0.99

Spice Club Minced Garlic
8 ounce
0.99

Spice Club Imitation Bacon Chips
3.25 ounce
0.79

Spice Club Pure Vanilla Extract
2 ounce
2.69

Baker’s Corner Baking Soda
16 ounce
0.39

Baker’s Corner Baking Cocoa
18.6 ounce
1.49

Grandma’s Best Flour
5 pounds
0.89

Sweet Harvest Granulated Sugar
5 pounds
1.69
Sweet Harvest Brown Sugar
32 ounce
0.89

Sweet Harvest Powdered Sugar
5 pounds
1.69

Choceur Chocolate or Hazelnut Spread
14.1 ounce
1.69

Canned Goods

Chef’s Cupboard Chicken or Beef Broth
14.5 ounce
0.39

Fit & Active 100% Fat-Free Chix Broth
14.5 ounce
0.39

Chef’s Cupboard cream of chicken, cream of potato, cream of mushroom, cream of celery, or tomato soup
10.75 ounce
0.39

Bean Town Pinto Beans
32 ounce
1.19

Range Master Sloppy Joe Sauce
15.5 ounce
0.59

Casa Mamita Refried Beans
16 ounce
0.49

Kirkwood Chicken Breast
5 ounce
0.99

Seanet Tuna (packed in water)
6 ounce
0.45

Artic Baby Pink Salmon
14.75 ounce
1.19

Happy Harvest Stewed Tomatoes
14.5 ounce
0.49

Happy Harvest Mushrooms
4 ounce
0.39

Happy Harvest Vegetables (Corn, Sweet Peas, Green Beans, French Style Green Beans, Kidney Beans, & Chili Beans
0.33

Happy Harvest Tomato Sauce
8 ounce
0.19

Happy Harvest Diced Tomatoes
14.5 ounce
0.49

Happy Harvest Tomato Paste
6 ounce
0.33

La Mas Rica Pinto Beans
30 ounce
0.69

Baked Beans
16 ounce
0.49

Sweet Harvest Peaches in heavy syrup
29 ounce
0.89

Fit & Active Peaches in lite syrup
29 ounce
0.89

Sweet Harvest Pear Halves
29 ounce
0.99

Sweet Harvest Pumpkin
15 ounce
0.59

Sweet Harvest Cherry Pie Filling
21 ounce
1.49

Sweet Harvest Mandarin Oranges
11 ounce
0.39

Sweet Harvest Applesauce
25 ounce
0.69

Sweet Harvest Pineapple Chunks
20 ounce
0.59

Rings with Meatballs
0.59

Frozen Goods

Granger Frozen T-Bone Steaks
2 Steaks
14.98

B-Bar 75% Lean Ground Beef (Chubb)
3 pounds
4.99

B-Bar 85% Lean Ground Beef (Chubb)
16 ounce
1.89

B-Bar 12 Beef Patties
3 pounds
4.99

Boca Burgers
10 ounce
2.49

Roseland Center-Cut Pork Chops
per pound
1.79

Kirkwood Cornish Hens
20 ounce (1 Hen)
1.99

Roseland Brats or Italian Brats
19.76 ounce
2.49

Kirkwood Chicken Drumsticks
2.5 pounds
1.69

Kirkwood Chicken Wings
4 pounds
5.49

Kirkwood Whole Frying Chicken
1 pound
0.65

Kirkwood Chicken Leg Quarters
5 pounds
2.49

Kirkwood Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts
3 pounds
6.99

Kirkwood Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins
2.5 pounds
6.99

Kirkwood Grilled Chicken Breast Strips
32 ounce
7.99

Jehling Chicken or Shrimp Stir Fry
24.2 ounce
3.99

Sea Queen Deluxe Cooked Shrimp
12 ounce
3.49

Sea Queen Salmon
16 ounce
3.99

Sea Queen Tilapia
24 ounce
2.89

Sea Queen Orange Roughy
16 ounce
6.99

Sea Qeen Whiting Fillets
24 ounce
2.89

Sea Queen Jumbo Cooked Shrimp
12 ounce
4.49

Sea Queen Extra-Jumbo Cooked Shrimp
8.99

Mama Cozzi Spinach or Portobello Mushroom Stuffed Rigatoni
24 ounce
2.69

Mama Cozzi Garlic Cheese Texas Toast
11.25 ounce
1.49

Happy Harvest Frozen Veggies- Corn, Broc., Cauliflower
16 ounce
0.79

Happy Harvest Mixed Veggies
16 ounce
0.89

Valley View Crinkle Cut Fries
32 ounce
0.99

Fit & Active Fat Free Whipped topping
8 ounce
0.69

Fit & Active- Whole Strawberries or Mixed Fruit
32 ounce
2.69

Fit & Active 3 Berry Blend
24 ounce
2.69

Sundae Shop Ice Cream- Vanilla or Chocolate
64 ounce
1.49

Fit & Active Stuffed Sandwiches- Turkey w/Broccoli
2 per package
1.69

Cahill Ground Turkey
1 pound
0.79

Kirkwood Chicken Breast Nuggets
3.49

Snacks & Prepared Items

Casa Mamita Tortilla Chips
15 ounce
0.99

Casa Mamita Salsa
24 ounce
1.49

Saltine Crackers
16 ounce
0.59

Fit & Active Reduced-Fat Wheat Crackers
0.89

Snack Rite Butter Crackers
16 ounce
1.19

Jellrite Gelatin- strawberry or orange
3 ounce
0.25

Sundae Shop Ice Cream Cones- Sugar
4.5 ounce
0.79

Sundae Shop Ice Cream Cones- Cake
4.0 ounce
0.79

Raisins
1.69

Dry Roasted Peanuts
1.69

Chewy Granola Bars- Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter & Chocolate
12 pack
1.69

Millville Fruit & Grain Bars
8 pack
1.69

Cinnamon Graham Crackers
0.99

Chef’s Cupboard Onion Soup Mix
2.0 ounce
0.49

Spice Club Taco Seasoning Packet
1.25 ounce
0.29

Leland Cheese Spread (Velveeta)
32 ounce
3.49

Chef’s Cupboard Stuffing Mix (Cornbread or Chicken)
6 ounce
0.69

Valley View Instant Mashed Potatoes (Butter & Herb or Roasted Garlic)
7.6 ounce
0.79

Cheese Club Macaroni & Cheese
7.25 ounce
0.25

Grandessa Spaghetti Sauce (3 Cheese or Chunky Marinara)
26 ounce
1.79

Mama Cozzi Spaghetti Sauce (Traditional, Meat, or Mushroom)
26 ounce
0.99

Meats

Cahill Turkey Bacon
12 ounce
1.69

Premium Pride Bacon
16 ounce
2.49

Premium Pride Thick Sliced Maple or Peppercorn Bacon
24 ounce
3.99

Grandessa Gourmet Smoked Chicken Sausage- sundried tomato basil, cajun andouile, sweet apple gouda
13 ounce
3.69

Parkview Cheddar Brats
16 ounce
1.99

Parkview Smoked Sausage
48 ounce
3.29

Premium Pride Pork Sausage (chubb)
16 ounce
1.49

Parkview Smokey Links
10 ounce
1.69

Mama Cozzi Pepperoni
8 ounce
1.69

B-Bar Beef Franks
16 ounce
1.59

B-Bar Hot Dogs
12 ounce
0.59

B-Bar Hot Dogs
16 ounce
0.99

Sea Queen Imitation King Crab
12 ounce
1.89

Tyson Whole Roasted Chicken
23.2 ounce
3.99

Lunchmates Deli Meat- Roastbeef, chicken, smoked turkey, smoked ham
per pound
4.49

Parkview Beef or Summer Sausage
16 ounce
2.49

Paper Products

Nanny’s Size 3 Diapers
40 count
5.99/ 14.98 cents each

Nanny’s Size 4 Diapers
34 count
5.99/ 17.62 cents each

Nanny’s Size 5 Diapers
30 count
5.99/ 19.97 cents each

Sandwich Bags
100 count
1.79

Ultra Liquid Fabric Softener
1.99

Decorated Paper Plates
1.69

Fill N Toss Tall Kitchen Bags
36 count
1.99

Drinks

Burlwood Cellars Wine
4.99

Beaumont Roast Coffee
39 ounce
3.29

Beaumont Instant Decaf Coffee
8 ounce
1.99

Beaumont Instant Decaf Coffee
4 ounce
1.69

Beaumont Decaf Roast Coffee
13 ounce
1.99

Benner Regular Tea Bags
100 count
1.49

Beaumont Coffee Creamer
22 ounce
1.39

Mixade- Lemonade or Fruit Punch
19 ounce
1.29

Nature’s Nectar Tomato Juice
46 ounce
0.99

Nature’s Nectar Lemon Juice
32 ounce
0.99

Orchard Gold Fruit Punch
64 ounce
0.99

Nature’s Nectar Grape Juice
64 ounce
1.89

Nature’s Nectar Cranberry Juice
64 ounce1.69

Nature’s Nectar CranApple or CranGrape Juice
64 ounce
1.69

Nature’s Nectar 100% Juice Fruit Punch- Mixed Berry
64 ounce
2.99

Nature’s Nectar Apple Juice
64 ounce
0.99

Sweet Valley 12-Pack Soda- black cherry, cola, diet cola, root beer, orange, or lemon lime
12 count
1.69

Sweet Valley 2 Liter- Cola or Lemon Lime
2 Liter
0.59

Condiments

Lyder Ketchup
36 ounce
0.99

Briargate Mustard- spicey, brown or dijon
12 ounce
0.99

Briargate Mustard- Honey
15 ounce
0.99

Briargate Mustard- Yellow
14 ounce
0.59

Salad Mate Salad Dressing (Miracle Whip)
32 ounce
0.99

Burman’s Mayonaise
32 ounce
1.29

Great Gherkin’s Hamburger Pickle Slices
32 ounce
0.99

Jehling Soy/Teriyaki Sauce
10 ounce
0.99

Grandessa Artichoke Quarters
12 ounce
1.69

Grandessa Gourmet Dressings- Sun dried tomato, 3 cheese, whole clove garlic, raspberry vinagerette
12.7 ounce
2.69

Chef’s Cupboard Bread Croutons- seasoned, ceasar, cheese & garlic
0.89

Diomede Spanish Stuffed Olives
5.75 ounce
0.89

Diomede Large Pitted Olives
6 ounce
0.89

Happy Harvest White Vinegar
32 ounce
0.59

Carlini Balsamic or Red Wine Vinegar
16.9 ounce
1.39

Fit & Active Lite Ranch or Lite Italian
16 ounce
0.99

Berry Hill Grape, Strawberry, or Apricot Perserves
18 ounce
0.99

Golden Nectar Pure Honey
24 ounce
2.99

Peanut Delight Peanut Butter- Crunchy or Creamy
18 ounce
1.19

Reggano Grated Cheese (Parmesan or Parmesan Romano Cheese)
8 ounce
1.89

La Missa Chocolate Syrup
24 ounce
0.99

Sundae Shop Ice Cream Toppings- Hot Fudge
16 ounce
1.69

Sundae Shop Ice Cream Toppings- Caramel
17 ounce
1.69

Sundae Shop Ice Cream Toppings- Strawberry
15.5 ounce
1.69

KC Style BBQ Sauce
0.79

Grains

Rice Bowl Long Grain Rice
3 pounds
0.89

Rice Bowl Instant Rice
14 ounce
0.99

Rice Bowl Chicken Flavored Rice
6.9 ounce
0.49

Rice Bowl Beef Flavored Rice
6.8 ounce
0.49

Casa Mamita Yellow/White corn Taco Shells (12 pck)
4.6 ounce
0.79

Reggano Elbow Macaroni
32 ounce
0.89

Reggano Penne Pasta
16 ounce
0.89

Reggano Farfalle Pasta
12 ounce
0.89

Reggano Rotini Pasta
16 ounce
0.59

Lovin’ Fresh White Bread
1 Loaf
0.45

Lovin’ Fresh 100% Whole Wheat Bread
1 Loaf
1.29

Lovin’ Fresh 12 Grain Bread
1 Loaf
1.29

Lovin’ Fresh Wheat Bread
1 Loaf
0.69

Lovin’ Fresh Oat Bran
1 Loaf
0.69

Lovin’ Fresh Hamburger Buns
6 Pack
0.55

Lovin’ Fresh Hot Dog Buns
6 Pack
0.55

Lovin’ Fresh Hoagie Rolls
6 Pack
0.99

Lovin’ Fresh Bagels- Multigrain, cinnamon & raisin, or plain
21 ounce
0.99

Lovin’ Fresh English Muffins
12 ounce
0.59

Lovin’ Fresh Garlic Bread
10 ounce
1.49

Wide Egg Noodles
0.59

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Posted in Aldi, Uncategorized | 36 Comments »

Monday WAHM Spotlight: Arbonne International

Monday, August 14th, 2006

Here is this week’s featured WAHM Spotlight…

Name: Trish Miller

City/State: Baltimore, MD

Name of Company: Arbonne International

Two or Three Sentences About Your Company:

Arbonne International was developed 26 years ago in Switzerland. Our products are Swiss formulated botanically based skincare, nutrition, weight loss and cosmetics made in the USA. Our philosophy is Pure, Safe, Beneficial.

Two Tips for Moms Trying to Work-At-Home (these tips can be how you stay organized, how to be successful, how to get started- anything that you feel would help someone just starting out):

1) Spend 15 minutes a day in a self development activity. ie: read a book, listen to a cd. You will become a better person and discover your WHY (the reason you are doing your business). It will help develop your business.

2) Spend 15 minutes a day in activity. Activity will drive your business. Make those calls and appointments. That will give you the check you want to see and an incredible team reaching there goals. Be the leader you would want to have!


**If you are interested in being featured, we will be selecting a mom for each Monday of my blog. You can read more and apply. Email confirmations are sent to each mom if they are chosen. Please remember to do your own research on these companies. If there are obvious red flags on BBB, I do not post them. Check my scam article to find out more about the potential dangers of work-at-home businesses.**

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Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

WFMW: Foamy Soap

Wednesday, August 9th, 2006

It is Works-For-Me Wednesday and I am happy to participate in this weekly event. For more great tips for you & your family visit the WFMW Founder, Shannon, at her website Rocks in My Dryer. There are a whole slew of great ideas for your family.

My little tip this week is regarding those foamy hand soaps that you can buy. I got three of these from a family member for Christmas one year and I love them. There is something about a foamy hand soap that makes me feel like my hands are so much cleaner. Ironically, the foaming hand soaps are only about ¼ soap and the rest is just good old-fashioned water.

When I ran out of soap, I decided to save the container and reuse it. I filled this container with our daughter’s bath wash (1/4 full) and then filled it the rest of the way with water. Gave it a good shimmy shake and ta-da! This makes your very own foamy bath soap for your little one. I just squirt a dollop of soap directly on her and rub it in with a washcloth. When you have a wet and wild little wiggle worm like I do, this soap makes things a lot easier for us during bath time.

I just peeled the label off of the front of the Bath & Body soap and labeled it (with my trusty label maker) and popped it in with her bath soaps & toys. It is amazing how much further our soap goes when we use this versus the regular old pump soap.

Want more WFMW solutions? Here ya go!

Adventures in Shipping

Frugal Exercise Solutions

Microfiber Obsessions

Sand Between Your Toes Blues

Giving the Gift of Magazines (Frugally)

Solution for Cheap Trash Bags

Programming Your Cell Phone

Free Up Pantry Space: Make a Snack

Weeding Through Your Child’s Art Work Creatively

Using the Coffee Maker With Ease

Making Your Spice Rack Usable

Maximizing Space

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Store Brand Diaper Reviews

Monday, August 7th, 2006

Have you ever wondered if the Target diapers are actually as good of quality as the Pampers or Huggies? One of my favorite bloggers over at Baby Cheapskate, actually answers this question and reviews each of the off-brand diapers in her two part series on her Diaper Odyssey.

Store Brand Savings & Quality: A Diaper Odyssey Part 1
Store Brand Savings & Quality: A Diaper Odyssey Part 2

If you have ever considered buying an off-brand diaper, be sure to visit this site to get the scoop on who has the best bang for your buck.

We are cloth diapering our daughter, but we did do disposable with our son. I found the Smiles brand of diapers (carried by Sam’s) to be our personal favorites. This was both for cost and for quality!

Included in the reviews are Target, Walmart, Costco, CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, and Publix.

Are you looking for free diapers? If you write a store brand diaper review for Baby Cheapskate, they will pick up the tab. You can read more information on this opportunity here.

This is a MotherLoad must read!

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Back-to-School Lunch Ideas

Monday, August 7th, 2006

Wow, is it already that time of year? Time to break out your trusty lunch pails and get to work on lunches! If you are fresh out of ideas for what to pack, the Carnival of Recipes is actually doing a back-to-school edition and in it are lots of great ideas for main dishes & treats! This included our post on making pizza in your bread machine (worth a read if you haven’t been here before!)

I make lunches for both my husband and our son (who attends preschool). For my husband, I just box up whatever we are having that evening for dinner, for his lunch the next day. I purchased sectioned containers from the Dollar Tree and fill it with lots of different foods for him. I also try to purchase him twelve packs of off-brand soda that he can take to work and drink at his desk. He is one of the few, at his job, that actually pack food to eat. The savings for him to eat those lunches is huge! Most people average around seven dollars a day to eat out at lunch (that would be the cheap dishes!) and he saves that money for our family each day. What a man! We do have a little money set aside that he can use to eat lunch out (if that is how he wants to spend it) so once in awhile he joins the gang at work, but for the most part we reap the rewards financially by him eating at work. The funny thing is, people always want to know what he is eating and I think some even may be a teeny bit jealous (I am just speculating OF COURSE!) that he eats so well.

As for our son, his lunch is easy to pack. He likes peanut butter and jelly…just about every single day. Sunday night, I just make up a week’s worth of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pop them in the freezer. In the morning, we get one of those out and it is unthawed by lunch time. This saves me from trying to make a sandwich every single day. Another time saver is to have baggies of chips, carrots, raisins, etc… already prepared so that I can just grab and go.

Other great lunch ideas are:

1) Make your own Lunchables. Cut, with a small cookie cutter, out cheeses and meat to fit on crackers. Purchase sectioned containers and have your child make their own stackable lunch.

2) Hard boil eggs to take to school. These are such a great source of protein and these also can be made ahead and kept in the fridge (just be sure to keep them separated from the raw eggs!!)

3) Pita pizzas- cold or hot (depending on if your school offers a microwave) can be a delicious treat for school. Use whole wheat pitas and low-fat cheeses on these to cut down on the calories.

4) If you have a preschool age child, try and cut their sandwiches out in different shapes. We keep a set of cookie cutters in our silverware drawer and I use these a lot to make things more fun.

When my son first started school, it was hard on me (more than him) so I would stick a picture of myself & his dad in his lunchbox. He looked forward to opening that and seeing a picture of us and it made me feel close to him, when I wasn’t. For older kids, a sweet note can be a wonderful addition to their lunch. We have free lunchbox notes that you can print out and write special messages to them. Don’t limit these just to your children though, sometimes it is nice to tuck a note in for your hubby too! Like, “I totally love it when you take the trash out! You are the man!” or “Thanks for putting the seat down on the toilet- I love that about you!”

If you are looking for more back-to-school ideas, visit my article on streamlining your morning routine and how to stay organized once the papers start rolling in!!

Finally, does your lunchbox stink? Sometimes if it has been sitting a long time closed, it can take on a..not so pleasant odor. Pop it in the top shelf of your dishwasher and run it. It will take that smell right out.

Feel free to share your lunchbox favorites in our comments section. I need the inspiration too!

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Monday WAHM Spotlight: T-Shirts ‘N More

Monday, August 7th, 2006

Here is this week’s featured work-at-home mommy! Thanks to Brenda & T-Shirts N More for applying to be part of our Monday Spotlight.

Name: Brenda Kerezsi

City/State: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Name of Company: T-Shirts N More

Two or Three Sentences About Your Company:

I design t-shirts for adults-babies. I also offer advocacy shirts, bags, aprons and magnets.

Two Tips for Moms Trying to Work-At-Home (these tips can be how you stay organized, how to be successful, how to get started- anything that you feel would help someone just starting out):

I found that being organized is the best thing. and the hardest! Also try as hard as you can to get your name out there. Go to WAHM sites, advertise there. Make up flyers and hand them out all over. The more effort you put out the better the response in my opinion.

**If you are interested in being featured, we will be selecting a mom for each Monday of my blog. You can read more and apply. Email confirmations are sent to each mom if they are chosen. Please remember to do your own research on these companies. If there are obvious red flags on BBB, I do not post them. Check my scam article to find out more about the potential dangers of work-at-home businesses.**

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WFMW: Adventures in Shipping

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006

Welcome to this installment of Works-For-Me-Wednesday. Please visit Shannon’s blog for some really amazing solutions for your family. If you have a blog and want to take part in the fun, head on over! There are almost a hundred participants each week (and growing) and the tips have been so beneficial for our family.

Today I am going to focus on shipping and shipping costs. Recently, I blogged about a great cost comparison site that you can use when shipping your packages. This site basically does all of the comparing for you so that you know right away which is the cheapest shipping option.

I decided that since I have been doing a lot more shipping lately, that it would be a sound purchase to invest in a good quality postage scale. I went shopping to the big discount chains and could not find a scale anywhere. The scales available at the post office were very pricy and only went up to five pounds. More hunting and thinking later, I decided to check Ebay and their prices. I hit the jackpot. This week I received a thirty-five pound postage scale for a mere twenty-two bucks (this included shipping costs). I figured that combining this with my cost comparison site, that I could just start doing all of my shipping from home. This would save me the hassle of driving everyone over to the post office and I could do this on my own time…maybe when the children are napping or my son is in time-out? That is always a good time to get things done.

Now please bear with me, for those of you who are Ebay Queens and ship regularly, but I was not aware of some of the freebies you can get by shipping through USPS. For absolutely free you can do the following with the USPS site:

Print a shipping label
Schedule a Pickup (I mean schedule a pickup to your front door!)
Boxes (all shapes & sizes) – both flat rate and regular
Address Labels

What I want to know is, why the heck am I using all of my own boxes when I can get these for free?

Finally my last little tip, in this segment today, is regarding that handy little postage scale. Guess what else I am going to be using that little scale for? I am going to measure my food with it. It measures both pounds and ounces so I will be able to buy my chicken or beef in bulk, and divide into exact one pound packages. This will save our family more money because we will be able to be more accurate with the amount of food we are using. The chicken breasts I buy seem to have been injected with a super-duper dose of steroids. These suckers are huge. I will now be able to know that one chicken breast equals a pound, not three chicken breasts like I had originally thought.

I hope that you found this information somewhat beneficial. Give me a shout out and share your tips or, if you feel so inclined, feel free to tell me how great I am. I need a self-esteem boost today.

To my new visitors- take a peek around! My blog dishes up great money-saving solutions for your family every single day! Enjoy!

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