Archive for May, 2009
Link Love – Home, Family, and Money
Check out these interesting articles this weekend:
Money
Grocery Shopping 101: Quantity Charges and 10 Products to Watch Out For at TheSimpleDollar.com
Online Price Comparison at AlmostFrugal.com
The Barter Economy – 14 Great Places to Trade Stuff Online at TheSimpleDollar.com
Job
How to Get a High Paying, High Integrity Job at TheSimpleDollar.com
Family/Kids
DIY Color Shape Flash Cards at VanillaJoy.com
Fun Summer Activities for Kids at FrugalDad.com
Frugal Fun: Ice Cream in a Baggie at SisterlySavings.net
Cleaning
Homemade Laundry Detergent, Charlies, & Soap Nuts at PassionateHomemaking.com
Miscellaneous
Police Dogs Smell Detection at CNN.com
Food on Friday
Happy last Friday in May! I hope you enjoy these links:
Why Grass Fed Beef is Better for Your Health at NaturalBias.com
A Consumer Speaks at NAIS Listening Session at HartkieIsOnline.com
Growing a Container Apple Tree at KeeperOfTheHome.org
Healthy Egg Recipes at EatingWell.com
Homemade Ginger Ale Recipe at BerlinsWhimsy.typepad.com (thanks to Simple Mom)
Mango Coffee Cake at BerlinsWhimsy.typepad.com
Jolene’s Flaxseed Crackers at BerlinsWhimsy.typepad.com
Lunch Ideas at BerlinsWhimsy.typepad.com
Unhealthiest Drinks in America at MensHealth.com
The Truth About Diet Soda at MSN.com
The 11 Most Controversial Food Additives at WomensHealthMag.com
In Season: Aspargus at PassionateHomemaking.com
The GMO Basics Panel: Why It’s Important and How to Avoid at TheNourishingGourmet.com
Booking Through Thursday – Unread
In the perfect follow-up to last week’s question, as suggested by C in DC:
Is there a book that you wish you could “unread”? One that you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it?
Normally, when a book is super bad, and I don’t have to finish it, I won’t. There are so many books I want to read, I don’t want to waste precious time reading unworthy books. That said, I do hate not finishing a book…
The only book that comes to mind that I wish I could “unread” is Lord of the Flies which I had to read in school. I don’t recall many details from this book, but I remember I did not like it and thought it was gruesome.
See other responses to this question at Booking Through Thursday.
Works for Me Wednesday – Refinancing
Almost seven years ago we built our first house. We didn’t think it was something we’d be able to afford, but the construction company my husband works for gave us a discount, we were able to get a much nicer house that was brand new, instead of continuing to search for “used” homes not staying on the market very long. We were very fortunate to have this opportunity. Of course, we could not afford to build our dream home, but we are happy with what we were able to build.
Our goal was to put down at least 20% down to avoid escrow, which we did. Our mortgage was for 30 years at 6.625%. Mortgage rates are currently very low. We received numerous letters from our mortgage company about refinancing, and actually looked into it a year or so ago, but it still would not have been worth it. However, about two months ago, my husband looked into refinancing again and found that we could get a 15 year mortgage and have lower payments than our 30 year mortgage. It made sense, so last week we refinanced. Mostly this worked because we paid extra on our mortgage for the first five years. When I lost my job two years ago, we stopped paying extra, which was hard to me to do, since I really wanted to pay off our mortgage in 15 years, which we were on the path to doing.
Refinancing worked for us. If you are not sure, call some places to see what their current rates are. We ended up going through a regional bank that allowed us to choose from at about 10-15 different mortgage companies, so we chose the deal that worked best for our situation. We now have a new mortgage company and are getting a better deal than what our old mortgage company had available. It pays to shop around.
Tuesday’s Tip Jar – VistaPrint
Several months ago, when I started my new business, someone suggested I order business cards and other promotional type items from VistaPrint.com. I signed up for their email list and immediately began getting emails with good deals. I ended up ordering “free” business cards and a personal address stamp and only had to pay shipping. I don’t recall the exact cost, but it was pretty reasonable, I’m pretty sure it was less than $15. One suggestion for you, don’t wait until the last minute, order in advance, then you can save money on shipping.
Updated (6.3.09) – someone left a comment below about scams involving Vistaprint. I have not had any problem with them charging me incorrectly or even spam for that matter. I have heard from many people who were satisfied with this company. I just thought you may want to know that some people seem to have had problems with this company.
Link Love: Home, Money, and Family Edition
I hope you are having an enjoyable holiday weekend. Check out these articles I’ve read recently:
Craft/Hobby
How to Make a Box at CraftStylish.com
Save Money by Sewing Your Own Clothes at Pecuniarities.com (thanks to Almost Frugal)
Gift Wrap on a Dime at KingdomFirstMom.com
Family
Frugal Summer Ideas at BeingFrugal.net
10 Resources for Finding Free and Cheap Things to Do This Summer at TheSimpleDollar.com
What Do I Do When my Spouse and I Aren’t on the Same Page? at SimpleMom.net
Green
Ditch Disposables at BeCentsable.net
Building a Compost Bin at GatherLittleByLittle.com
Borax, Is It Safe? at PassionateHomemaking.com
Job
Make Your Home Office Productive and Comfortable at FrugalDad.com
Personal
How I Do It All at KeeperOfTheHome.org
Giving
10 Ways to Save Money with Gift Baskets at BlissTree.com
Free
Free Coldplay Download at Coldplay.com (thanks to Fun Being Frugal)
Apple Camp: Free Summer Workshops for Kids at KingdomFirstMom.com
Money
The Advantages of Spending Less at TheSimpleDollar.com
10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget at BeingFrugal.net
Food on Friday
Happy Friday! Enjoy these recipes and other kitchen/food related tips.
Mind the Microwave in May at KitchenStewardship.com (thanks to 5 Minutes for Mom)
Frugal Homemade Pizza Sauce at KitchenStewardship.com
Flexible Casserole Recipe at TheSimpleDollar.com
Strawberry Shortcake at FabFoodFriday.com
Pickle Recipes at KeeperOfTheHome.org
Homemade Baked Beans at PassionateHomemaking.com
Homemade Buckwheat Soba Noodles at TheNourishingGourmet.com
Booking Through Thursday – A Second First Time?
What book would you love to be able to read again for the first time?
(Interestingly, I thought that I had thought this one up myself, but when I started scrolling through the Suggestions, found that Rebecca had suggested almost exactly this question a couple months ago. So, we both get credit!)
There are plenty of books I would love to read again for the first time, but I will just list a few:
A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers (I rushed through it the first time I read it, so I don’t think I remember it as well had I read it more slowly and thoroughly. It was exciting and very descriptive, I still see scenes from the book in my mind.)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (A fabulous book, one of my all-time favorites. This was the first book I read by this author and didn’t know much about her plots, etc. so I wasn’t sure what kind of story and ending it would be.)
Relentless by Robin Parrish (The twist at the beginning of the book was so unique and unexpected, I loved it! I know I will read this book again, but there was just something about reading it for the first time that cannot be recreated in a second reading.)
The Partner by John Grisham (Another unique and exciting story, best when you don’t know what will happen next.)
Check out more replies to this question at Booking Through Thursday.
Works for Me Wednesday – Cocoa Drops
Cocoa drops are one of my favorite dessert recipes. They are easy to make, tasty and consist of mostly healthy ingredients, if you forget about the sugar. I guess I should probably call them Cocoa Bars, since I just pour the batter into a pan, which I think is faster than making individual drops.
Cocoa Drops
1/2 c butter
1/2 c milk
2 c sugar
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
3 c oats
In large glass bowl, microwave milk and butter for 45 seconds. Add sugar and cocoa, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Microwave for 3 minutes, or just until mixture comes to a boil. Cool 1 minute. Blend in peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir in oats, mixing well. Pour into pan 9×13 or slightly smaller works well or drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper.
Chill until firm is optional – if you are going to eat them right away, chill them, otherwise, I just leave them at room temperature until they are firm.
No Tip Jar Today
Sorry for the late post. I had planned on doing a tip jar idea, but it has gotten late and nothing is coming to mind, other than don’t procrastinate! Life has been busy for a while and I don’t feel there is anything I can or want to cut out to make it less busy. Ideally, I want to plan my blog better to have more automated posts, so I can have something new, especially for times like today when I can’t think of anything worthwhile. Thanks for understanding. I do plan to post something for Works for Me Wednesday, so stay tuned!
