Search Results for: which desert are you

Five Ways to Spend Less to Feed Your Kids

Kids can be little vacuums sometimes, eating up everything in sight. While it is good for growing bodies to get the calories and nutrition that they need, it isn’t always great for the budget, especially when you want to eat out. A typical family with three kids can spend $25-$30 at a counter service restaurant or $50-$70 at a family-friendly sit down restaurant. There are a number of ways to reduce the cost of food for your kids, that are not extreme and will leave you spending less to feed your kids. Here are five of the best ways to … Continue reading →

How Much Would You Spend on a Moonbounce Birthday Party?

My seven-year-old daughter, or miss popular as we like to call her, has been invited to a number of fun birthday parties, everything from a hip hop dance party to a rock-climbing party. Her own birthday is coming up, and she wants a cupcake-moonbounce-girlie party for all of her friends, whatever that means. The moonbounce idea was actually her father’s, who thought renting a moonbounce might be fun for the kids. I agree that it would be, but unfortunately, since her birthday is in November (and we live in an area that has dramatic changes in seasons), it will be … Continue reading →

Your Favorite Holiday Pie

When the desert comes out around the holiday dinner table do you have to be quick to make sure that you get a piece of your favorite pie? Throwing a napkin in someone’s face can help you win that slice, although I admit, the practice isn’t very nice (worse still if it is a used napkin). Usually, we wind up with too much of a certain type of pie and not enough of another. So, you may just want to have an informal survey of your relatives and friends to see exactly how much and which types of pies to … Continue reading →

Focus on What You Have

In marriage it’s not about what you own, not even sometimes about what you do. It’s about being together and enjoying each other’s company. Since it was a beautiful sunny winter’s day, after lunch yesterday we bundled our little dog into the car and drove to one of the quiet beaches near us. It was not deserted as we’d expected but still only a few groups of people on the beach. Some brave souls were in the water. We were not two of them. We walked along the beach, sat for a while watching the teal water as they waves … Continue reading →

Ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving with Your Spouse

How do you normally celebrate Thanksgiving? Do you stuff yourself on the traditional turkey fare? Once stuffed, do you then collapse in front of the TV to half nap, half watch football? Do you rush between houses to see all branches of the family tree? Or does your whole family gather in one place and play games, like perhaps a friendly match of touch football? Last year Wayne and I went to Denver, where our families both live, and caught up with everyone. That was a big deal for us, because most years we’re pretty low key. Either we get … Continue reading →

Attracting Bats to Your Yard

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When creating your backyard wildlife habitat, you may want to think about bats! Bats are a great way to control night-flying insects in and around your yard and garden. Not only do bats gobble up flying bugs — many insects will simply avoid areas where they hear bats. Do you live in a good area for bats? Here are some qualities bats look for in a home: Lots of insects to eat — one bat can eat as many as one thousand bugs each night. You’ll often find bats near water because insects tend to favor moist places. Caves or … Continue reading →

Make Your Own “Cool Whip”

Frozen whipped dairy or non-diary products, such as Cool-Whip frozen topping can be a convenient way to add the right flourish to a desert. You can also use the Cool Whip in recipes to make mouses, pies and more. But we never buy the stuff. Instead, we make our own, which is not only much less expensive, but it is also without all of the chemicals you will find in those traditional frozen concoctions. If you want to make your own version, here is how you can do it. You’ll need an empty waxed milk carton to store your home … Continue reading →

Super Bowl XLII: What to Know Before You Go–Other Offerings

For the past few days I have been examining the options Super Bowl fans have in Phoenix as they prepare for the NFL’s biggest game of the season. In previous blog I covered everything from dining options to party places and everything in between. There is no doubt that in a few days Phoenix will be (at least temporarily) the hippest, hottest place in the nation. The super big Super Bowl crowds will likely displace the many snowbirds that flock to Arizona each winter, but I’m sure city and state leaders could careless. In the place of the repeat visitors … Continue reading →

3 Meals that Feed Your Family for $1.50 or Less

Yes, you can actually feed a family of four or more for $1.50 or less. Keep these meals in mind during emergency times or add them to you regular meal planning. Here are three meals that will cost just pennies to create. They are completely flexible. These aren’t recipes, per se, but meal ideas that you can adapt to fit your family and what you have available. I didn’t count in the cost of drinks, since we usually just have water, which is free or sometimes milk, which can add to the cost of the meal. With these meals, you … Continue reading →

Does Bagged Produce Save You Money?

Those pre-selected bags of produce seem to save you money, but do they? Actually, it depends on a couple of factors. This question was recently posed to me by a member, reader and fellow frugal person here at Families.com. She asks, “Is buying those pre-bagged fruits and vegetable really worth it? They seem less expensive, but I always wonder if they are really just bruised and rotten.” Here are some tips to help you make the best choice when it comes to deciding between bagged produce and produce that you hand select. With bagged produce you can usually expect some … Continue reading →