New Religious Offerings in Hotel Rooms

I first heard about this latest travel tidbit from the ladies on ABC’s chatfest “The View” a few weeks ago. But as usual their squawking made it nearly impossible to decipher what the real issue behind hotels offering more than just the Gideon Bible for guests to choose from was all about so I decided to do some research on my own. For those of you just getting up to speed on this “Hot Topic,” the Provenance Hotel chain (they run boutique properties in Oregon, Washington, and Tennessee) recently started offering a “spiritual menu” to its guests that goes beyond … Continue reading

New Product Alert: Cool New Ribbon Storage

Everyone is always looking for storage and organizational solutions for ribbons and fibers. These embellishments are used so often, do not cost a lot and are extremely attractive and colorful additions to your layouts. However, storing them is a whole other problem. Last week I showed you a unique way that a kitchen item can be transformed into ribbon storage, and I also found a great option for finding cheap storage while utilizing the dollar store. I am back today to show you a really cool product I found quite by accident searching for something entirely different in my organization … Continue reading

Seven Things to Get at the Library for Free

If you haven’t visited your local library in a while, you might want to plan a visit sometime soon. The library is a very different place than it was just ten years ago, thanks in part to current technology. Plus, with the economy, there is a new need for additional services, all of which most community libraries are trying to provide. They are doing a very good job of it, too. So get that library card out (or sign up for one) and start saving. Here are seven things that you can get at the library for free. • Free … Continue reading

Cindy’s List Has A Wealth of Resources

Genealogy requires a lot of research. It is possible to fill in part of your family tree by asking your relatives for information that they know about the births, deaths, and marriage dates of other family members. If you are lucky, and someone in your family has been working on genealogy, you can get a good amount of information from that person. However, in most cases, if you are going to continue doing research about your family tree, it is going to require access to other resources. Cindy’s List can offer a plethora of resources for you, all in one … Continue reading

General Conference Recap

General Conference was this past weekend. It was wonderful to be able to hear the words of President Monson and the other apostles for so many sessions this weekend. The talks were wonderful and very uplifting. Many spoke poignantly about the troublesome times that we are facing around the world. The ultimate message was one of hope and faith. President Monson spoke about having faith during difficult times. He shared three stories of people who faced enormous trials, but were able to persevere because of the strength of their faith. The line that stood out to me from that talk … Continue reading

Preparing for Worse Times Ahead

While we would all hope that the economy is going to get better soon, the reality is that it will probably get worse before it starts getting better. Leading analysts say that it may be 2010 before we can expect an improvement. This means that there will be further job losses, higher prices and the possibility of shortages as business fail and manufacturers have to reduce their production. To give yourself peace of mind, start doing what you can to prepare. Ideally, you should have three to six months of living expenses squared away in an emergency fund. While this … Continue reading

Getting Serious About Heat Conservation

We’ve been practicing frugal living in our home actively for about eight years. Most of those years have involved a lot of lifestyle changes, from having three kids to moving to a larger home. While we have kept up with being conservative about our spending, we haven’t been able to make any dramatic changes above and beyond what we do on a daily basis. This fall, we have made it a priority to work on heat and energy conservation even more than we already do. This is an area that we can always improve. We’ve completed most of the necessary … Continue reading

Food, Favors and Decorations to Complete Your Family Election Party

My last blog outlined invitations and possible activities for an Election Day (or Night) Party. This blog will help you prepare for the party. Favors/Name Tags Make name tags/favors in which the name is on a white circle of cardstock. Folded loops of ribbon be glued to the back of the cardstock around the edges of the circle. Leave two ribbons (hanging down. This resembles the rosette ribbons worn by members of political parties in England (hence the term, “showing your colors”). If it’s just a family party, rather than names you could make ribbons of different countries and write … Continue reading

Conservation Equals Frugality: A Review of Articles

Did you know that you can search articles in the Frugal Living Blog by category? Off on the right side of your screen, below the list of blogs is the “frugal categories” list. You can click on a category to go straight to blogs related to that category. It is a great way to find exactly what you need. One of our newest categories is conservation. This is one of my favorite topics. Not only does conservation save you money, it also saves on resources for the world at large. Conserving resources helps the planet, and also provides additional resources … Continue reading

Family Home Evening: “Physical Health”

The next section in the “For the Strength of Youth” manual is “Physical Health.” This is a great topic to cover in family home evening. You can talk about the Word of Wisdom as well as good exercise, sleep and eating habits. You can begin the lesson by reading Doctrine and Covenants 89: 18-20. Discuss the different blessings promised with your family. Ask your family what the benefits of having these blessings might be. Read the section “Physical Health” as a family. You may also want to read the Word of Wisdom, which is found in Doctrine and Covenants 89. … Continue reading