Cheap Romantic Meals
Food and romance go hand in hand. A romantic meal shared with someone special will leave a lasting impression on both of you.
The food you choose is not nearly as important as the atmosphere you create. You could make a very romantic meal from hamburgers and French fries if you take the time to create the perfect ambiance in the room.
In serving your romantic meal, garnish the plates with twisted lemon slices, parsley, and cilantro for a fragrant, decorative touch. You may also want to use scented candles or potpourri to create a romantic feel.
The presentation of your meal is more important than the foods you serve. Keep things simple and mix flavors and textures, giving the meal contrast and different shapes. Plan ahead and prepare everything you can in advance so that your final meal preparation goes quickly. Romantic foods can include almost anything if you serve the meal with soft candlelight and music.
Choose your main dish according to your partner’s favorite dishes, and accompany the meal with wine served in chilled glasses. Appetizers are a great way to dress up any meal. Some favorite romantic additions include asparagus, artichokes, oysters, black beans, strawberries, and chocolate.
Decorate your table with tall candles and inexpensive flowers placed in a glass vase. A pretty
tablecloth and cloth napkins will add elegance to your romantic meal. Small bowls filled with nuts, mints, chocolates, and figs will create a special atmosphere. Use your best dishes or simply purchase 2 plates in a discount or thrift store. Fold your napkins into decorative shapes and use napkin holders made from colorful paper with romantic massages or poetry written on the paper. You can purchase inexpensive fortune cookies with romantic fortunes inside for a little excitement if you desire.
Your romantic meal can include any type of inexpensive food if you dress it up with garnishes,
appetizers, and fruits dipped in chocolate. Inexpensive wine or champagne will be a great addition to your cheap romantic meal.
Use your imagination instead of your credit cards to create a romantic meals that neither of you will soon forget.
http://www.RomanceYourHusband.com is a website dedicated to helping married couples stay friends and to help them remember why they married each other in the first place. Our disclaimer is: If he’s a jerk, this won’t work. But, if he’s sweet, rub his feet.
Copyright 2005 – Nicole Dean
Thrifty Frugal Meals
Simple Living, Frugal Eating
submitted by Moms like You
Thai Ramen Soup
Instead of making plain, ol’ cheap Ramen Noodle Soup… I take the Spicy Chicken Soup… and, just when the noodles are almost cooked all the way, and there is only a little bit of water left, I drop in a tsp of peanut butter (chunky is good!) and a dash of cayenne pepper. Makes the soup more like a Thai dish… more filling… substantial… tasty… and CHEAP! – Jill Hood
Crock Pot
Your Crock-Pot is your best friend. It really can make fabulous meals that require few ingredients which means it’s less you’ll spend on groceries. You’ll also save yourself time too, since you can make all in one dishes in a very short amount of time! – Shelly Howard, owner Munchkin Menus
Organic Farms
Find an organic farm nearby and ask if they provide a weekly “harvest basket”. One of our local farms provides a weekly harvest basket for $10 which includes enough fresh fruits and vegetables to feed our family for a week! The produce is fresh and because it’s organic, it lasts and lasts much longer than store-bought produce. I also find it so much easier to include fresh veggies in our meals when I don’t have to shop for them separately! — Ellen, slocountymoms.com
How to Make Meatloaf? – Quick Easy & Frugal Meatloaf Mix
Easy Hamburger and Green Bean Casserole
Home Organization Takes Serenity-Acceptance-Courage-Wisdom
God grant me the Serenity
to Accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and Wisdom to know the difference.
photo credit: evelynishere
The origin of The Serenity Prayer is unknown, and often debated. Every group who recites it, claims it. So, I’m claiming it now. When I’m on a mission to organize my home, I become very tired and weary, and feel the need for a hand-up. Our busy lives, trying to juggle home, family, and work, leave little time to think about getting organized. But, when we are not organized at home or work, we feel overwhelmed, missing out on the sense of well-being that we deserve. What did I accomplish today, other than getting further behind in my work, piling stuff higher to the ceilings, and spinning in circles trying to get my life and home organized?
Having an organized home may not seem that important in the grand scheme of things. But, the truth is, when we have structure in our routines and in our homes, we feel better in control and, ultimately, happier. When we live in chaos, we feel disjointed, unsure, and uncertain of our abilities. How many times have we looked through the piles of paperwork heaped on our tables and counters, panicked because we can’t find a permission slip for our child’s field trip, or the electric bill that’s already late, or our child’s science report that’s due today, or any number of items that require immediate attention. Do you start doubting your qualifications as a parent, homemaker, or professional? Let’s put The Serenity Prayer to work in a step-by-step approach to organizing your home and life.
God grant me the Serenity
When I start an arduous task like organizing my home, I like to begin with a bit of serenity. Whether you find serenity in prayer, tea, exercise, or closing your eyes for a few minutes, a little peaceful reflection is in order. Take some time to reflect on the reasons you’ve chosen this particular task, what you hope to accomplish by tackling this chore, the method in which you choose to execute the assignment, and even the rewards you’ll receive once the job is complete.
Accept the things I cannot change
Now that you’ve examined your motivations and expectations, I’ll bet you see a few flaws. The house you live in has a number of occupants that don’t necessarily share your quest for organization… or at least not in the same way you envision. For instance, say your family loves to leave videos piled in front of the television so they can wade through them at their leisure. How will they view your attempt to box all the videos neatly away? Is this an issue that your family is unwilling to negotiate? Can you accept the fact that the family room has videos strewn on the floor? If not, and you insist on putting the videos in a closet somewhere, your family may see you as trying to gain unreasonable control. They will feel that you are not listening to their needs or wants. The success of your mission depends on the involvement of the entire family. By including your family’s opinion, you eliminate the misunderstandings which will, at some point, lead to sabotage. Yes, you can gently lead them in your direction, but here’s where acceptance will be your saving grace. Pick your battles, and accept the little things that your family will not change.
Courage to change the things I can
It takes courage to, first of all, admit that you need to change your bad habits. One of my motivations behind organizing my home was that I felt inadequate. I was late for appointments. My son almost missed a field trip because I lost the permission slip. A birthday present for my niece was lost somewhere in the house and never found. I felt I was apologizing to everyone for things I’d forgotten or missed. My chaotic house was not really at fault. I needed to change the way I was spending my time. It takes courage to put your house in order. Taking a few minutes each day with your family, putting away the dishes, folding clothes, and picking up puzzles and games, is usually not met with happy rejoinders. Turning off the television against cries of protest, and reminding your family that they all agreed to pick up the clutter before bedtime, takes a great deal of courage. Changing your family’s routine to include keeping your home organized is courageous, indeed!
Wisdom to know the difference
If you feel that you have been beating your head against a wall, trying to get your family organized, you probably haven’t sorted out what you can and can’t change. This is where choosing your battles comes in. You are wise enough to know when you are fighting a losing battle. At what point do you give up and give in? Are you losing sight of the big picture by focusing on a losing battle? If everyone in your family likes the videos piled next to the television, do you want to fight about putting them in a closet? Ask yourself if this is something that you can change. If not, how about your family’s habit of leaving their clothes on the floor? This could be something that your family will change. You and your family have agreed to organize your home, so knowing the difference between what you can change in their lives and what you can’t change, and respecting your family’s wishes, makes everyone feel ownership and pride in their newly organized home.
When you plan the strategies you will take to organize your home, take a few extra moments to consider the impact your mission may have on your family. The involvement of everyone in your family will smooth out the bumps you’ll experience along the way. Using the structure of The Serenity Prayer might just give you a place to start, and peace in your household.
Now that you found out how easy it is to get and stay organized, it’s time to start… check back here for more Home Organization Ideas.
Home Office Organization Ideas – Your Desk
Your desk can be your best friend, or it can be your worst enemy. When you originally picked out and set up your desk, you made sure that it was perfect. It had plenty of drawer space, surface area, and was suited for your personal enterprise. Now you have piles of miscellaneous papers, binders, books, and junk stacked all willy-nilly on top of your desk, and spilling over onto the floor around you. What happened to the desk you loved? Has it let you down, or have you let it down? Let’s give your desk a fresh start and give it the attention it deserves.
Step One: Sort Everything Into Labeled Boxes
You should only need four boxes. Label them “Misc. Stuff”, “Do”, “Keep Handy” and “File”. Now, grab a cup of coffee, and sit down with every loose item on your desk and in your drawers, and sort your stuff into the four boxes. Don’t think too hard about any one item. Touch it once and put it in a box quickly. You have time later as you’re putting things away to rethink anything you have.
Step Two: “Miscellaneous Stuff” Needs A Home
This is the box of odds and ends that end up on your desk instead of put neatly away. These are the paper clips, cd’s, pens, pencils, telephone books, scratch paper, sticky notes, Sharpies, erasers, keys, coasters, etc. that either don’t have a place to go or haven’t seemed to find their way home. You’ll find that, once you start culling out all the miscellaneous stuff and putting it where it belongs, your pile will be manageable. You’ll want to purchase some simple dividers for the desk drawers to help corral those “hardware” items and keep them from getting tangled up with your important papers. Some inexpensive baskets, and small bins and boxes, will help contain those little office necessities while keeping them handy, but not cluttering up your desktop. Using matching desktop accessories, like your stapler, tape dispenser, and pencil cup make a difference in how you view the top of your desk. If it looks organized, it feels more organized, and you actually keep it less cluttered.
Step Three: “Do” Keep Those Important Papers Neat And Visible
Your “Do” box contains valuable documents, projects, time-tables, and all sorts of dated items that need attention. Putting your “Do” items away just won’t do! Having a multi-compartment desktop organizer will do wonders for keeping track of those important “Do” items. I like the kind of multi-compartment organizer that has vertical slots because papers don’t tend to get buried as easily. If you don’t have room for a desktop organizer, some strategically placed see-through hanging wall files or pockets can keep files and papers neatly organized, but still very visible and accessible. Even hanging wall pockets directly on the side of the desk is an option worth considering. A small bulletin board or magnetic board close to your desk will provide a safe home for the little scribbled notes that you rely on every day.
Step Four: “Keep Handy” Those Frequently Needed Items
In your box labeled “Keep Handy” you should find all your reference material that you need handy, like documents you need to refer to on occasion, how-to manuals, lists of phone numbers or addresses, your checkbook and register, deposit blanks, catalogs, and anything your particular enterprise or family needs to refer to routinely. These items are generally important enough that you don’t want to be looking for them when you need the information, but they are not items that need daily reminders and certainly do not belong on top of your desk. This is what your desk drawers were created for. Most desks have built-in rails for hanging file folders. If your desk does not, do yourself a favor and visit an office supply store. There are many hanging folder frames that will fit inside your desk drawer for hanging your files. Be creative when you’re shopping, and check the stores return policy. If the frame doesn’t fit like you imagined, be sure you can take it back. You may even find a desktop organizer that fits your drawer and will work great for you. If your desk does not have adequate drawer space, or your enterprise requires a number of manuals, books, and binders, it would be wise to purchase at least one two drawer file cabinet and a small bookcase. Even if you move into a larger filing system, you can’t lose with these two items. Right from the start, you’ll feel more relaxed and be more productive when paperwork is neatly organized and off the top of your desk. Manuals, binders, magazines, and books should also find a home on a bookshelf, and not on top of your desk. You’ll also be able to place additional storage like attractive boxes and baskets on top of your bookshelf and filing cabinet for storing odds and ends that would otherwise clutter up your desk. I like to shop those big clearance stores and thrift shops, and often find decorative boxes and baskets at reasonable prices.
Step Five: “File” Those Papers Instead Of Shuffling Them Around Your Desk Top
How many pieces of papers do you shuffle around your desk in a day’s time? If a piece of paper is not time-sensitive, if it no longer requires your attention, file it. If you’re not ready to invest in file cabinets, the contents of your “File” box should be neatly stored in sturdy boxes, carefully labeled with its general contents, dated, and set aside neatly in a closet or corner. Consider purchasing sturdy legal-size storage boxes especially designed for office use. They are built to last, stack well, are much less expensive than file cabinets and, if you don’t need access to these papers regularly, are perfectly suitable for long-term storage. However, if you are ready to invest in a permanent filing system, and like the idea of having your files accessible in drawers instead of boxes, do some preparation work before you shop. It’s crucial to take an accurate inventory of your needs before shopping for filing cabinets and storage. Assess your needs, take careful measurements of your space, and shop around. Filing cabinets come in a wide range of sizes and features. The price of a good quality filing cabinet will set you back on your heels a bit if you haven’t shopped for office equipment before. This can be an expensive investment, so you’ll want to make wise choices that will leave you without regrets. And now that you have filed away those papers, your desk is starting to look like it did when you fell in love with it. Time to get out the furniture polish or glass cleaner. You can see the top of your desk again.
Step Six: Scoop Up That Mess Of Cords
You can see your desk again, and it’s beautiful! But you now notice that the cables and cords under your desk are a tangled mess. If you have pets or small children at home that frequent your office space, this is also dangerous. If you’re afraid to get too involved moving the cords around, the simplest solution is to gently gather them together, kind of like scooping up a pile of freshly raked leaves, and place them in a cardboard box that has the four-flaps type cover. Then carefully close the four flaps that form the box cover, allowing the cords and cables that hang from your computer, down the back of your desk, to stick out through the loosely folded flaps. There are other ways to straighten the mess of cables out, but this is the easiest, and fastest. If you’re confident in computer hardware, go ahead and organize your cables. One inexpensive method is to cut lengthwise along empty paper towel tubes or gift wrapping tubes and gently push the cords into the tubes. There are also cord coverings you can purchase at office supply stores.
Your desk is a reflection of you. It’s widely believed that people think more clearly, get more accomplished, and are under less work-related stress when their desk is neat, orderly, efficient, and the implements they require are within easy reach. You want a clutter-free desktop, but filing everything away in drawers may not be feasible, or advisable, when you’re trying to do research, read, or be creative. You need “functioning workspace”, which means you need to have your paperwork and tools of your trade convenient, accessible, and at your fingertips. Having an organized desk, while having your critical documents and tools within easy reach may seem like a difficult task. But with a bit of planning and a lot of research, it’s not impossible. Whether your desk is your household command center or your desk is the hub of your home-based business, you need to develop a system you can live with to keep your desk clutter-free. It’s not easy to maintain your desk in perfect condition every day, but when you begin by cleaning away the clutter, your natural talents will take over. You even have a spot on top of your desk for that picture you love of your family enjoying the beach. Now, wasn’t organizing your desk worth the effort?
And now that your desk is organized, it’s time to move on to the next project… check back here for more Home Organization Ideas.
Easy Budgeting Tips for Moms
Budgeting Made Easy
I am a strong believer in budgeting because even with the smallest of incomes, it can help you make your money go farther. Budgeting is not hard and you do not need a degree in mathematics to be able to do it. You also do not need expensive software or online programs to write an effective budget.
The first thing you need to do is make a list of all your bills and expenses – monthly, weekly, quarterly, etc. I do my budget by the week because we get a weekly paycheck. Some people would do a monthly or bi-weekly budget. For example, I will do a weekly budget.
So here is an example of a list of expenses:
Mortgage $250
Groceries $300
Heat $50
Phone $75
Electric $80
Internet $20
Cable $50
Insurance $60
Car Payment $200
Credit Cards $25, $75 and $100
Gas for car $100
Now to start your budget, you would put each bill a week or two before it is due. For example, if your mortgage is due on the 10th of the month, you would either have it paid the last week of the month
before or the first week of the month.
Example budget using example bills listed above with an income of $450 a week.
March 5
Internet $20
Groceries $75
Gas $25
Credit Cards $125
Insurance $60
———————–
Total $305
March 12
Car Payment $200
Cable $50
Groceries $75
Gas $25
———————
Total $350
March 19
Mortgage $250
Groceries $75
Gas $25
——————–
Total $350
March 26
Groceries $75
Gas $25
Credit Card $75
Heat $50
Phone $75
Electric $80
———————-
Total $380
Now, this is your very basic and simple budget. You would want to add in things like Christmas, birthdays, taxes, etc. when appropriate. With a tight budget, you would try to add those in when you have an extra payday. These come every third month, I do believe.
What you have left is for whatever you choose to so with it. I would recommend that you add a weekly amount for savings/investments to help with the future.
Also, if you want to do a budget for your business, I would suggest doing that separately.
I simply write my budget in a notebook and go over it every week when I write out the bills. I also then write out my grocery list for the weekly shopping.
I keep my budget, bills, monthly statements and such in a folder type binder. Each month when I pay a bill,
I throw out the old statement and keep the new. This helps me keep track of things also.
Yes, sometimes it is hard to stick to a budget, but if you don’t things could get much harder and the bills could start stacking up.
Budgeting might sound complicated, but when you use a simple method, it gets easy very quickly. You do
not need to be an accountant or to have an expensive software program to help you do your budgeting. A simple notebook of paper and an ink pen or pencil is all you need. Oh, and a calculator to speed things up
a bit. 😉 Happy Budgeting!!!
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Find lots more tips, articles, and resources for your home, family & business at SeymourProducts.com
Terri and her husband Terry also offer a low-cost, wholesale distributorship with unlimited support, and a complete line of one dollar ebooks and software with full resell rights.
How to Cut Postage Costs
Here are a few tips to help you cut the cost of postage cost.
1) When you advertise for your business. Add the line ” For information send SASE.”
2) Advertise that you will do paid mailing. This is one great way to make money and to mail your own advertising campaign.
3) Sell ad space to cover the cost of postage, printing, etc. Make sure you use some of the ad space to place your own ad.
4) Exchange with people that you can trust. This works by you will mail a certain number of their ad campaigns and they will mail your advertising campaign for you.
5) Use Bulk mail. It is time consuming but it saves you money. I do this for my Mom State University Newsletter. I have to sort out my newsletter by zip code and state. You have to mail at least 200 like pieces at one time. If you have over 200 pieces it is worth the money. It saves me at least 35 % on postage.
6) My favorite postage tip is stamps that have not been marked with the date to do machinery error can be reused. Pay attention to the mail you get and start cutting off the stamps you can reuse.
7) Watch mail order publication for dealers who have new stamps to sell at a cheaper price.
I hope this will help you save money on postage. Remember 39 cents at a time will add up!
Chaele McMillan is a Work at Home mom. She runs a consulting company from her home.
Young, Fabulous and Broke?
Suze Orman Has Debt Relief & Financial Freedom Advice Books for You!
Are you a parent that has all the financial responsibility in the world on your shoulders and living paycheck to paycheck? Does it seem like there is no way out of this endless cycle of working just to pay your bills? Well, I certainly felt this way. I have been in consumer credit counseling, which was very helpful, but I still felt like a financial idiot. What was I supposed to do to get ahead? How was I going to ensure that my family was going to get the best they deserve which includes the finer things in life AND me? Well, I was sitting at home one day contemplating this and watching my local PBS station when an infomercial came on that was an real eye opener.
Enter Suze Orman, my financial guru! I had heard of Suze Orman before briefly and about her cable TV shows, but didn’t really know what all the hype was about. I decided I would watch this infomercial and see if there was anything to the Suze Orman phenomenon. The infomercial was to raise money for PBS and promote Suze’s Book “The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke“. I got a chuckle out of the title, but thought to myself, “I’m young, fabulous and definitely broke” let me hear what this Suze Orman person has to say! Suze revealed some very interesting things to me such as:
1. Your credit score can have an impact on your car insurance premiums!
2. Your Fico Score is different from each of the credit bureaus and they are combined to make ONE Fico Score.
3. Each credit bureau has their own credit report on you, and they don’t always have all of the same information that the other ones do.
4. If you have debts that are way overdue, they automatically fall off of your credit report in seven years.
5. If you make a payment on those old debts at any time during the seven years, even if it is at the sixth year and eleventh month, you have started the seven year cycle all over again!
6. As if you didn’t know it already, bankruptcy is the WORST thing you can do to yourself and you should avoid it all costs. Suze recommends joining a consumer credit counseling agency if necessary.
7. It’s actually OK to live off of your credit cards while you are young for necessities so you can work the job of your dreams and put away the maximum amount of money in your 401 K Plan (only if they match).
8. You should switch credit card balances to other credit cards as often as you need to to get the best interest rate.
9. Despite what you may have heard, you should avoid interest only home mortgages at any cost, because if anything were to happen to you and you lost the home for any reason, you would have no equity and would have to start from scratch.
And much more!
In addition to the advice above, in Suze’s “The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke” book, Suze gives you an access code so you can access more financial secrets at the Suze Orman Website.
All in all, I would recommend any of Suze Orman’s books, they are a real lifesaver and will put you on the path to financial freedom!
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Christina Khan is a single-mother and a recovering young, fabulous and broke parent. She runs a baby birth announcement website with parenting advice and articles for new and expectant parents.
Save Gas While Driving
With high gas prices, using less gas means more money in your pocket. Here are some tips on how you can save gas while driving. Implement a few of these suggestions to get more miles for the gallon.
Saving Gas By Changing Your Driving
We don’t have control over the price per gallon of gasoline, but we can change how much we spend on gas each week by the way we drive. Here are some tips to start saving gas by changing your driving.
Think Twice Before You Drive
Avoid unnecessary trips and combine errand whenever possible. You can look into carpooling with a colleague, or sharing the responsibility of driving the kids to school or afternoon activities with other parents. Driving less is the most effective way to save gas. Get creative and come up with ways to get through your day without using the car as much.
Don’t Speed
Driving the speed limit can save you as much as 10% on your gas mileage. All you have to do is to stop speeding and take your time. You’ll be saving a few bucks a week on gas and don’t risk getting a speeding ticket and the fines involved.
Use The Highest Gear You Can
If you are driving a manual transmission, shift up earlier and drive in the highest gear your car can handle. You and your gar will go further on each gallon of gas.
Avoid Rush Hour And Busy Streets
Sitting in your car with the motor running while you’re not driving gives you gas mileage of 0 miles an hour. Avoid this by not driving in rush hour whenever possible. It may also be worth staying away from busy streets where you know traffic is going to be stop and go.
Turn Off The AC
Running your Air Conditioner in the car will worsen the gas mileage you get. Instead of relying on your AC to cool off the car, park in the shade whenever possible and use a reflective sun shade across the windshield. If there is a lot of heat in the car, open opposite doors for a minute before cranking your car to let the heat escape. Leave the air conditioning off or run it at the lowest setting whenever possible.
By changing just a few of your driving habits, you can make a difference in how far those $50 of gas will take you. Give it a try.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Get more gas saving tips at www.ourfamilybudget.com/how-to-save-money-on-car-gas.html. Learn more about creating a family budget and saving at www.ourfamilybudget.com – and sign up for the free family budget newsletter to get weekly money saving tips in your email inbox.
Our Budget Basics
By ClubMom Member Janette, Omaha, NE
When we were in college and first married, my husband and I made $7,000 – $8,000 together annually. Now that we’re out of college, my husband works and I stay home with our children. He makes more than we made during our college years, but we use the same budgeting method.
We were both able to get out of college debt free, and remain debt free other than our house payment and the minivan we just purchased. Here’s how we do it:
First, we make a spreadsheet. On top of the spreadsheet we list the amount of money we have each month to spend.
We then list in order of necessity the things that we’ll be spending our money on, starting with essentials such as house payment, food, insurance, gas, and so on. As we get down towards the bottom we list things like “date money, spending money, clothing,” and so forth.
Janette is a ClubMom Member from Omaha, NE.
Copyright © 2006, CMI Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved.
7 Tips for Thrifty Living
It is no secret that life is more expensive today than when our parents were growing up. How can we offset soaring prices without sacrificing quality of life? Here are a few tips to help you save more:
1.) It is no surprise that credit cards represent a trap for many people. Incentives such as “earning” frequent flyer miles or free internet access are only “free” if you can pay off the balance every month. Otherwise, you end up on the losing end of the stick, paying interest rates in the double digits. It makes more sense to save for that ticket to visit the Caribbean or your relatives than to rack up frequent flyer miles on a card you can never pay off. Tip: Only use credit cards if you know you can pay off the balance at the end of the month.
2.) Electricity doesn’t come cheap. Heat-producing appliances such as dryers and refrigerators burn up enormous amounts of energy. Tip: Consider purchasing an energy saving appliance. Turn down the refrigerator in the cooler months. Hang your wash outside instead of using the dryer. It will save you money, and the clothes smell fresh!
3.) It is tempting to spend a lot of money on the weekends “because you deserve it.” That may be true, but you may not be able to afford it, too. Tip: Instead of that expensive weekend at an amusement park or that ski trip that costs a bundle, take a bike ride with your kids or check out a new park to go sledding. You’ll get some exercise and needed fresh air while creating memories with the kids.
4.) Children usually like to draw. If your little Picasso is eating up all of your expensive computer printer paper, think about this. Tip: Consider using paper bags or recycled office paper for some of their artwork. They work fine for collages, and they are free. An added plus? You’ll reduce that pile of bags in the pantry that keeps growing, and you’ll save several trees.
5.) Spending time away from the kids is essential, but babysitters can be expensive. Tip: Consider swapping babysitting with a neighbor, at least some of the time. It will reduce the cost of going out with your partner, and you’ll benefit from a night on the town for less.
6.) Good picture frames can be very pricey. Tip: Purchase one stable picture frame for the kids’ annual school photos. Keep the old photos behind the frame to compare prior years’ pictures. An added benefit? You have all of the school pictures in one place!
7.) Entertainment need not be expensive. Tip: Rent a video instead of attending a movie in a theater. Invite your friends and have a potluck supper. Now you’ve multiplied the fun without the extra cost of parking, movie tickets, and refreshments!
Life can be beautiful. It doesn’t have to be expensive.
Christine Louise Hohlbaum, American author of Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff, is a freelance writer living near Munich, Germany with her husband and two kids. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Smith College and an M.A. in International Relations, German and English Literature from the University of Constance, Germany. When she is not leading a toddler playgroup or writing, she likes to dance, sing with her kids, and generally frolic.
mailto:chohlbaum@smith.alumnae.net
(c) 2003 Christine Louise Hohlbaum. All Rights Reserved.
