I was just wondering at what point in my life will spaghetti dinner not end like this: Yes, I always start spaghetti dinners with, "All boys, remove your shirts!" Just a hilarious smile: And I wanted to fully capture the rug burn Matthew got yesterday when he fell off the slide at church. Apparently cheek first. I need your input (this is totally non-deal related): Sometimes when people find out I have 4 children they ask, "You know how that happens, right?" I am always polite, but inside I'm totally offended. I just can't put my finger on why. Any ideas? And yes, I am asking this question partially because I want to read your Keep Reading
My menu plan update: Spaghetti Dinner…everywhere
Menu Plan Monday: The slacker’s edition
Here's my big confession: I am not a planner. At all. I totally see the benefits, but I don't enjoy actually sitting down and planning stuff. I enjoy following that plan even less. It's not that I'm particularly spontaneous gal, it think I'm just exceedingly lazy. And when it comes to menu planning, I secretly hope that my lack of planning will result in going out to dinner more. Which I really love to do. But, alas, I have a 10 pound tube of ground beef in my refrigerator that really must be cooked TODAY. So, here's my plan. And it's really not that exciting, so I'd love some suggestions to spice it up! MONDAY: Spaghetti -- I plan to cook up about Keep Reading
Guest Post: Why recycle
Guest post by Selena Moffitt from 1 Mom's Mission. I don’t know about you, but I am a big fan of this planet. The ONLY planet God gave us. Keeping Earth a healthy place to live for my kids is my priority, and recycling is one way we can help to keep the planet healthy. Of course, there are other reasons why recycling is beneficial: 1. Keeps the Earth a viable place to live by respecting its resources. 2. Decreases your waste = landfills last longer. Unless you want one popping up in your backyard… 3. Saves energy. It takes less energy to make a product out of recycled materials than virgin materials. 4. Decreases pollution. Keep Reading
The Ultimate Guide to Couponing in the Northwest: Know the coupon strategies {REBATES}
REBATE: A return of a portion or the entire purchase price of a product. Rebates. I have such a love-hate relationship with rebates. I love that the manufacturer is offering to give me some or all of my money back. I hate that I am responsible for making sure I get my money back. In fact, I am so bad at submitting rebates that I have almost altogether given up on using them. But most of you are probably much more responsible than me (or less distracted?), so using rebates can become a nice little income revenue stream for your family. There is one type of rebate that couponers in the Northwest encounter: manufacturer's rebates. MANUFACTURER'S Keep Reading
The Ultimate Guide to Couponing in the Northwest: Know the coupon strategies {WALGREENS CATALINAS}
CATALINA: A coupon you get with your receipt at the register; usually triggered by a specific item that you purchased Now that you have mastered Grocery Store Catalinas, let's move on to Walgreens. Catalinas at Walgreens are called Register Rewards. A Register Reward (RR) prints when you purchase either a certain dollar amount of product or group of participating products or a certain number of products and is good for a certain dollar amount off your next purchase. Register Rewards print and function just like Grocery Store Catalinas, but, like everything Walgreens, is a bit... funkier. These deals are usually promoted in the weekly ad, Keep Reading
The Ultimate Guide to Couponing in the Northwest: Know the coupon strategies {GROCERY STORE CATALINAS}
CATALINA: A coupon you get with your receipt at the register; usually triggered by a specific item that you purchased This is when couponing in the Northwest gets fun. Catalinas, named after the company that manufacturers and maintains the machines, are the reason we score on groceries and household items. Catalinas print from the box-sized machine that sits either right next to the register (Safeway, Fred Meyer, Target, Walgreens) or on the counter right behind the cashier (Albertsons). WinCo and Walmart do not have Catalina machines. There are three types of Catalina (cat) coupons: An advertisement (Jiffy Lube, a website, etc.) A Keep Reading
The Ultimate Guide to Couponing in the Northwest: Know the coupon strategies {DOUBLE COUPONS}
DOUBLE COUPON: A store coupon that doubles the value of a manufacturer's coupon Double coupons are the primary way we are able to get free or almost free food and household items in the Pacific Northwest. You can only double a small amount of manufacturer's coupons per transaction at any PNW store, so it is inevitable that you will be doing multiple transactions, especially if there is a fantastic deal running on something your family regularly uses. When talking about double coupons, I'm always asked how many transactions someone needs to do. The answer: As many as you want and no more than that. It all depends on how much you want that item at Keep Reading