Amy’s Notebook 05.03.2007

May 3rd, 2007

Be Mom of the Year:

Scribbit shares a great way to decorate your child’s room (with their current obsessions!) and not blow a bunch of money on achieving the look.
Design Mom (guest blogger Amy M) shares some really cool ways you can share photos of your children.

Be Cheap:
Simply Thrifty shares a list of resources for the frugal crafter in you. You don’t necessarily have to pay for a pattern when you use one of these free listed resources.

Thrifty Mommy shares a link to a great article on mothers who are worn out and why time management is a thrifty choice for mothers.
Lifehacker shares how you can make a DIY string tripod, for those of us too cheap to purchase the real deal.

Have a Martha Moment:

Parent Dish has a great retro mom recipe for how to make the world’s best chocolate cake. The best part about this is that it is made with a boxed cake mix- whoohoo!
Oh Happy Day shares how you can truly have a Martha Moment…you can buy her products at Michael’s now.
My Longest Year shares a pattern and tutorial for creating a reversible half apron.
How about orange has a great template for making your own envelopes out of beautiful paper.

Get Inspired:

Personal Finance Advice shares with their readers ten important items you should keep in your purse or wallet.
Zen Habits encourages you to streamline your day better and come up with systems for doing everyday chores. Are you doing things the simple way or the complicated way?
Shakyard has a great piece on how to achieve a perfect lawn.
Not Made of Money shares tips for the homeowner who is trying to sell their house themselves.
It is a great read if you are trying to bypass hiring a real estate agent.
Shakhammer has a great entry on how to install a clothesline to dry your clothes. It is full of simple & straightforward directions on adding this to your home.
Young & Broke shares tips on how to become a good saver of your money. There is lots of great information in here!

News You Can Use:
Parent Dish shares the scoop on a product recall on Payless shoes. Be sure to read this if you have purchased those Airwalk Clog shoes for your child.

Tags: ,
Posted in Amy's Notebook | 3 Comments »

The Dollar Stretcher Tips 05.03.2007

May 3rd, 2007

For a sample copy of The Dollar Stretcher newsletter, send $2 to: Dollar Stretcher Sample, 6695 Cortez Road W., Bradenton FL 34210. Copyright 2007 Dollar Stretcher, Inc. Visit The Dollar Stretcher for even more tips & ideas!

Emergency Lights

Power went out in my parents’ home and my mom went outside and got one of her solar lights that outline the front yard. It was the best light she used. It stayed lit the entire night until the power came back on. Plus she was able to walk around the house with it and it lit up everything. Lori

Garage Storage

Use inexpensive rain gutters to create convenient storage for molding, lightweight lumber, pipes, and other long, thin items. To install the vinyl or aluminum gutters, cut the lengths you want and use screws to fasten the mounting brackets to studs. Then snap the gutters into place. Use the brackets alone as hooks for garden hoses, extension cords, and wire coils. Kyra M.

Test Drive Your New Home

If you’re thinking of moving up to a bigger apartment or home and anticipate a larger monthly payment, here’s a way to see if the increased monthly payment will fit in your budget. For 9 to 12 months save the difference between your current rent or mortgage and the anticipated amount of your new rent or mortgage. For instance, if your rent is $500 and you want to get into a house and you think the payments will be $800, then put $300 per month in the bank. If you have to miss a month of depositing the $300, you’ll know that the new rent or mortgage is more than your budget can provide for, as you’d have missed your payment for that month. Also, you’ll be growing your savings for the year. April G. in Cordova, TN

Personalized Thank You Notes

Instead of sending regular “thank you” notes after my children’s birthday parties, I get double prints of my child with each guest and write a note on the back of one and send it to the guest. This way, each child has a nice reminder that is much more personal than a “form letter” thank you! Carrie W.

Breastfeeding and Insurance

One place that people forget to look for savings in regards to breastfeeding is their own health insurance! My pediatrician referred me to a lactation consultant due to breastfeeding problems, and I only had to pay my $10 co-pay for each visit. In addition, my pediatrician “prescribed” a breast pump for me. Under the terms of my health insurance contract, I only had to pay $5/month for “medical equipment rental.” I did buy the tubing/bottles from the hospital new ($50). However, you can now buy them off of eBay for a little bit cheaper. Andrea B.

Expert Self-Defense Advice

A friend of mine has a second-degree black belt in karate. He often does self-defense talks for women. He always encourages women to try to run, as that’s your best defense. If you can’t run, go for the eyes, throat or knees. If you try to inflict pain, like going for the groin, you are risking the possibility that this person could be on drugs, which will mask their pain response. If you go for the eyes, they won’t be able to see you. If you go for the throat, they won’t be able to breathe. If you go for the knees, they won’t be able to run. Donna in Raleigh

Fresh Frozen Fish

If you catch or buy more fish than you can eat right away and want to freeze the excess, just place the fish in a quart-size or sandwich-size freezer bag, fill with plain tap water to about an inch below the top, squeeze the air out, and seal. This leaves room for the bag to accommodate expansion of the water when it freezes. Freeze them and enjoy later! I’ve kept fish (freshwater and saltwater) this way for up to three years, and they were as fresh and good as the day caught. Thawing does take about twice as long. Michael C. in Kennewick, WA

Expensive ‘Melts’

I just got back from my local mega-center where I purchased cough syrup for my daughter. Some cough medicines now come in tablets or “melts.” While the prices are the same, the liquid contains almost twice the medicine that the tablets do. My daughter needs 1 tsp. of syrup (5 ml), and from a 118-ml bottle, she gets almost 23 doses. The “melts” box only contained 12 doses for the same cost. That’s a significant difference, especially if you’re dosing more than one child. Teresa in MO

Cookie Cutter

When making cookies, instead of rolling dough and cutting into shapes or dropping dough by spoon-full, I pat dough onto a jelly roll pan or pizza pan and bake. Then I cut the warm dough with a pizza cutter as soon as I remove it from oven. This makes baking cookies so much faster. They taste good, and it saves time in kitchen. Barbara

Military Care Packages

My son, who is in the Marines, is deployed to Iraq. I like to send him care packages frequently and also to other soldiers who aren’t getting any mail. Whenever I get fast food, I ask for condiments. I collect those, the free mints given out after dinner, and any other freebies I can find to help fill up the care packages. This may not seem like a big deal, but anything that will spice up the MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) is a good thing. I also collect little lotions, soaps, etc. that I get in motels and send those along. And you know those salsa bags that come with the Mexican dinner kits (get them when they’re buy one get one)? Those are good too. You can save them up and look up a local organization that sends care packages. For almost nothing, you have something to contribute. And remember, a letter to a service person is the cheapest form of cheer!

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Real Simple Magazine Tips for May

May 3rd, 2007

Here are this month’s tips for your reading enjoyment courtesy of our friends over at Real Simple Magazine. Be sure to pick up their issue to get more tips on how to make your life a little easier!

Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Vegas, Baby!

May 2nd, 2007

We just returned this evening from our trip to Las Vegas and all I can say is…WOW! Our trip was incredible and there are no words to describe the experience that we had or all that we saw while we were there. It was truly like a Disney World for adults and we were in awe of everything, particularly the architecture of the buildings there. You can tell that we were in awe as we took over two hundred pictures while we were there, going in and out of every building that we could.

I don’t want to brag so I will keep this entry short. We are thankful to be home safe & sound and to be back with the kids. It was a great trip for the two of us and a much needed excursion away from the real world. To have all of our expenses cared for made the trip a hundred times more enjoyable because I didn’t find myself questioning whether or not we could do things while we were there. We stayed within our budget and have only twenty dollars to spare, but thanks to our winnings we have amazing memories and no bills to go along with it! Our hotel (pictured to the left) was phenomenal and we could not have asked for more!

I will be back to my regular blogging routine tomorrow. Thank you for all your well wishes and prayers for our safety- we have felt truly blessed!

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

Be back next week….

May 2nd, 2007

Our family has been on a much needed vacation this week, so I will be taking a break this week from the Aldi blog. If you are looking for meal ideas for this week, please visit our archives by clicking on the Menu Planner link to the left. It will pull up all of my past entries to use for meal planning this week.

Thank you all for your invaluable feedback! I am looking forward to picking things back up next week!

Posted in Announcements | 1 Comment »

Freebie Friday: April 27, 2007

April 27th, 2007

Don’t forget to download your free menu planner & grocery list for the week!

If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to read our article on internet safety and your children. It is an important piece that you shouldn’t miss!

Health & Beauty:

Try 24 hour fitness for 10 days. Free. To get this special deal fill out the form and select a club near you.

To receive a FREE* Trial Pair Certificate for ACUVUE® ADVANCE™, ACUVUE® OASYS™, ACUVUE® ADVANCE™ for ASTIGMATISM, ACUVUE® 2, ACUVUE® 2 COLOURS™, ACUVUE® BIFOCAL, or 1•DAY ACUVUE®, please fill out the form.

Register with AMBIEN CR & Receive a Free Trial.Why spend another sleepless night? Sign up now and receive 7 days of prescription of AMBIEN CR free and talk to your doctor to find out if AMBIEN CR is right for you.

Thousands of women have tried Olay Total Effects and have fallen in love with our moisturizer. We think you’ll love the age-defying benefits, too. If you would like to try a free sample of Total Effects, just fill out the brief questionnaire.

These lathering, dual-textured cloths fight seven signs of aging as they cleanse, condition, exfoliate, and remove makeup. Olay Total Effects Daily Cleansing Treatments have a smooth side that infuses skin with the Olay Vitamin Lipid System (Vitamin E, Pro-Vitamin B5, and lipids). They also have a textured side that exfoliates to reveal newer skin. If you would like to try a free sample of Total Effects Daily Cleansing Treatments, just fill out the brief questionnaire.

Sign up to receive a free seven day sample of Move Free Advanced.

Try a sample of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely Perfume.


Entertainment:


Join Regal Crown Club and earn rewards for going to the movies. Free movies, popcorn, soft drinks and more!

If you live near one of the selected cities, you can get passes to an advance screening of Shrek 3 to be held in May 2007.

Receive a free one-year subscription to ShowBoats International Magazine. ShowBoats International sets the editorial and marketing standards for the luxury yacht industry and dominates the market of exclusive yachts. No publisher in the world understands the megayacht market better than ShowBoats International! You will NOT receive any additional magazines and you do NOT have to cancel a subscription. We will not be accepting feedback on this magazine. This subscription to ShowBoats International has been purchased on your behalf by Restaurant.com.

To get your complimentary one-year subscription to Home Business Magazine (and to find out what FREE trade magazines you could receive), simply complete the following information.

Get a complimentary subscription to Western Outdoors Magazine for one year. Just fill out the survey.

Receive 18 free issues of Boating Life: Boating Life is the authority on recreational boating. Inevery issue of Boating Life, you’ll find new product reviews, sound advice on buying a boat and tips for maintaining your boat. From deck boats and run-abouts to skiboats, fishing boats and pontoons, Boating Life is like the knowledgeable friend you consult before buying that brand-new model, tackling that maintenance project, getting water-sports gear ofr the kids or planning the dream boat trip.

Join the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program. Fostering a love of reading and its rewards, the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program is popular with both students in the first through sixth grades and educators throughout America. Last summer, we provided 190,000 free books and participants read 2.3 million books! This year, children can join Jack and Annie from Mary Pope Osbourne’s Magic Tree House on their summer adventure as part of their own journey in our Summer Reading program.Participation is fun and easy for kids to earn free books! They simply read any eight books — library books, books borrowed from friends or books bought at Barnes & Noble — write about their favorite part, and bring a completed Summer Reading in the Magic Tree House Journal tear page to a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Children can then choose from a list of paperback books. We’re confident there will be plenty of titles they will like.

Have your children start a lemonade stand for charity. To request your free Sunkist Take a Stand Kit please fill out the pledge form.

Families, schools, and organizations alike are invited to see great kids’ movies — for FREE — during AMC Summer MovieCamp®. Available at select AMC Theatres, this fun-filled program brings you: FREE movies from June 27 – August 15*. Shows starting at 10:00 a.m. every Wednesday. A great opportunity for field trips – start planning today. Groups can reserve tickets for all seven weeks of movies, starting on June 20. Check back soon to see our film lineup and download fun kid’s activities like word searches, art projects, and more. AMC KidsPack™ are also only $3.00 for one small drink, one small popcorn, & kids’-size snack. Participating cities are listed on their site.

Get a free book! LIVING BEYOND THE LIMITS: A LIFE IN SYNC WITH GOD. God wants you to experience life to its fullest…but rather than experiencing peace, joy, and excitement, maybe hints of emptiness, boredom, and frustration nag at you. Maybe you find yourself asking, “Is this all that life has to offer?”In Living Beyond the Limits, Franklin Graham focuses on God’s principles and promises essential to a full life. He relates real-life examples of men and women who have put God’s Word in to practice under some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable. You’ll be amazed by their stories. You’ll also be stirred and challenged as never before. Limit one per household. Book shown is hardback, but shipped copy will be paperback.

Food:

Host a Pepperidege Farm Spring Dessert House Party. If selected as a host, you’ll get…Samples of Pepperidge Farm Black & White Milano, Chessmen, and other cookies to taste, exclusive coupons to purchase more cookies for your party, ribbon and decorative cellophane to make take-home favors, online dessert recipes and party-planning tips, a free party website, where you can send invites, share photos and videos, and interact with partygoers nationwide & the chance to create and submit your own dessert recipe, featuring Pepperidge Farm cookies, to be spotlighted on Artofthecookie.com


Pet Needs:

Receive a free four pack of The Original Scoopex Pooper Scoopers.

Tags:
Posted in Freebies | 5 Comments »

Meal Planner & Grocery List 04.27.07

April 27th, 2007

Have a wonderful weekend!

042707 Menu Planner

042707 Grocery List

Posted in Grocery Lists, Meal Plans | 2 Comments »

Sour Cream Pork Chops

April 27th, 2007

Sour Cream Pork Chops


6 pork chops
½ tsp garlic powder
½ cup flour
1 can chicken broth
2 tablespoons flour
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream


Season pork chops with garlic powder and then dredge in ½ cup of flour. In a skillet over medium heat, lightly brown chops in a small amount of oil. Place chops in slow cooker and pour chicken stock over the chops. Cover and cook on low for seven to eight hours. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. After the chops have cooked, transfer the chops to the oven to keep warm. In a small bowl, blend 2 tablespoons flour with the sour cream; mix into meat juices. Turn slow cooker to high for fifteen to thirty minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve sauce over pork chops.

Serve over egg noodles.

Posted in Aldi, Main Dishes | No Comments »

Mini Frittatas with Hash Brown Potatoes

April 27th, 2007

Mini Frittatas

Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
8 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces thinly sliced ham, chopped
1/3 cup  grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray 2 mini muffin tins (each with 24 cups) with nonstick spray. Whisk the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt in a large bowl to blend well. Stir in the ham, cheese, and parsley. Fill prepared muffin cups almost to the top with the egg mixture. Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is just set in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittatas from the muffin cups and slide the frittatas onto a platter. Serve immediately.

Serve with hash brown potatoes and orange juice.

Posted in Aldi, Breakfast | No Comments »

Spaghetti & Meatballs

April 27th, 2007

Spaghetti & Meatballs

1 pound spaghetti
1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste (minus 2 tablespoons for the meatballs)
½ cup beef broth
1 pound ground turkey
¼ cup breadcrumbs (directions for preparation to follow)
2 tablespoons paste
1 egg
3 tablespoons of beef broth
Handful of parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the spaghetti and cook as directed or until al dente. The spaghetti will continue to cook in sauce, later. To a large skillet add prepared spaghetti sauce, tomato paste (minus 2 tablespoons), and diced tomatoes, and allow to cook together. Add beef broth and allow the sauce to simmer while you make the meatballs. In a large bowl mix together turkey, bread crumbs, tomato paste, egg, beef broth, handful of cheese, and salt and pepper. Shape into meatballs (any size, just make sure they are all the same size for even cooking) and bake the meatballs for fifteen to twenty minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Carefully remove meatballs from the baking sheet and add them to the sauce. Drain and add cooked pasta to the pan and mix together with the red sauce.

Serve meal with a tossed garden salad.

Breadcrumbs Recipe

Making your own breadcrumbs can be easy and inexpensive. The flavor of fresh breadcrumbs versus the store bought variety is not even comparable. Store your breadcrumbs in your freezer and you will always have fresh breadcrumbs on hand. I keep mine in a freezer-safe container and when I get low, I simply make another batch. Breadcrumbs can be made out of loaf ends, stale bread, hot dog rolls, & hamburger buns- whatever you have on hand! Keep a bread bag with all of your bread in it and store it in the freezer. Once the bag is filled, it is time to make some breadcrumbs!

Set your oven to broil and then lay all of the bread out on cookie sheets. You only need to broil the bread a couple of minutes (keep one eye on it because it can burn quickly). This helps just to dry the bread out and make it easier to handle. Once the bread is toasted, put this bread into my food processor. You can just have only the bread in there, or if you like the Italian seasonings type of breadcrumbs add your own seasonings (I add garlic salt, and an Italian seasonings dry blend of herbs to mine for that variety). Run the food processor until the bread crumbs are of a fine consistency. Then put these crumbs into a freezer-safe container.

Posted in Aldi, Main Dishes | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »