• Sign up to receive a FREE sample of Proportions Dog Food. Click the link then click “continue”. On the next page, create a profile for your dog the click the “$5 Risk Free Trial” link. On the payment screen, enter the code TNTrial26. This offer is available to the U.S. for a limited time.
• Sam’s Club members can sign up to receive a FREE Pampers Dry Max sample. Membership number IS NOT required. This offer is available to the U.S. only.
• Click here to print a coupon for $0.50 off an Old El Paso product. You may be able to get FREE seasoning if your store doubles coupons.
• Target Portrait Studios is offering a printable coupon for a FREE 8×10 portrait with no sitting fee. Coupon is good through 10/9/10.
• One Frugal Foodie is offering a free “Smart School Time Recipes” ebook download. The book features 125 recipes for muffins, smoothies, snacks, lunchbox items and more. This offer is available internationally, for a limited time.
• Become a fan of Express on Facebook by 9/3/10 and get a coupon for free lip gloss, to be used in-stores, September 8th through 10th. This offer is available to the U.S. only.
• You may be able to find 11 oz bottles of Gain dishwashing liquid for $1 or less at Walmart, Rite Aid and Harris Teeter. Use the $1 off coupon from the 8/29 Proctor and Gamble insert to get it for FREE.
• If you have Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Cox, TVN, Blue Ridge, Sudden, or Charter Cable TV service, you can watch FREE Disney Movies on Demand, September 2nd through 6th.
• You may be able to find travel size Olay Body Wash and Tide Laudry Detergent at Target and Walmart for around $0.97. Use the $1 off coupons (with no size restrictions) from the 8/29 PG to get them for FREE.
• Women’s Health is offering a FREE 2011 Calendar. The calendar is available in both English and Spanish. This offer is available to the U.S. and U.S. Territories, while supplies last.
• Get a free 20 oz. coffee or cappuccino at participating Holiday Station Stores with this printable coupon. Offer expires 9/12/10.
• Sign up for the My Starbucks Reward Program by 9/21/10 and you will receive a coupon for a free Artisan breakfast sandwich (delivered within 4 to 6 weeks). To sign up for the program, you must register a Starbucks card. If you do not have a card, you can buy one in-store. Members will also receive a coupon for a free drink on their birthday.
• Sign up to receive FREE Wrinkle Test Strips and $1 off coupon from Garnier. This offer is available to U.S. residents, while supplies last.
• SC Johnson is offering a FREE sample of Shout Color Catcher. This offer is available to U.S. residents, while supplies last.
• Waffle House is offering a printable coupon for a FREE waffle (no purchase necessary). Coupon expires 9/17/10. Click here to find a location near you.
• Sign up to receive a FREE Kashi sample of your choice. Choose between a strawberry cereal bar, trail mix granola bar or 7 grain crackers. This offer is available till 9/9/10 or while supplies last. U.S. only.
• Sign up here to receive a free Dessert Recipes for Diabetics eBook. After you click the link you will need to enter your email address then complete registration (if you are a new user) and complete a survey. You may be shown offers, but sign up for these IS NOT required and you can skip them. This offer is available to U.S. residents only.
• You may be able to find small 6 ct. packages of Oreos by the register at Walmart for $0.50. Use the $1/2 coupon here (no size restrictions, prints 2) to get 4 for FREE.
• ateways to Better Education is offering a FREE Pledge of Allegiance Poster. Offer is located here, about halfway down the page. This offer is available to U.S. residents, through 9/30/10 or while supplies last.
• Hillsdale College is offering a FREE copy of the U.S. Constitution. This offer is available to the U.S. and Canada, while supplies last

Thanks to The Freebie Blogger for posting about these freebies!

Have a great weekend and a safe Labor Day!

This is a field trip that costs, but it is very inexpensive. If you go with a group, the cost is $4 per person.

However, if you don’t have the money to spend on field trips that cost, why not look around your area for landmarks or historical sites that don’t cost anything to view?

In the past, my kids have viewed a replica of the Round Table and the Sword in the Stone–both of which are in King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (a wonderful book to use as a read aloud for school or bedtime). This is a historical landmark in my town and is free for the public to view.

We live close enough that last year, we visited Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace. It is absolutely stunning–and FREE! The only cost is the gas to drive there.

In my hometown, another free historical landmark is a park that has been dubbed “The Trail of Tears”. It is part of the path that the Cherokee Indians walked on their journey. It’s free too!

This year, my kids and I are going to Nashville, TN to view the Parthenon! This is not a free field trip, but it is another one of the not-so expensive ones.

I am totally amazed at all the different places you can visit for free that have some kind of history involved.

(This is the link we used to find out about Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace. It might come in handy for you as well).

So what kind of field trips have you been on that don’t break your budget?

This recipe book is awesome! I just checked it out and the recipes are great, the information is wonderful and guess what is best of all?

This book is full of recipes that use whole foods, fruits and veggies! Download a free copy of the brand-new ebook: Smart School Time Recipes: The Breakfast, Snack, and Lunchbox Cookbook for Healthy Kids and Adults. The recipes are kid-friendly (and adult-friendly!), easy, and delicious.

Be sure to log into your Member Pages (upper right corner) today. Your September Digest is available for download as well as a page full of freebies and resources. Enjoy!

I decided that this year, I was going to make some homemade coffee syrup and send it to her as a gift. When my package arrived, she fell in love! She told me that they tasted better than the real thing and that I was now her official Starbucks replacement!

Here is what you need to be able to to do the same:

~Start with a simple syrup. To make a simple syrup, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup white sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until it has reduced by half, which should take about 5 minutes. Now if you want flavoring, you have to add those ingredient(s) at the same time you add the water and sugar.

Vanilla Coffee Syrup: Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla flavoring to the simple syrup. Taste to see if it is vanilla flavored enough. If not, add an additional teaspoon.

Cinnamon Coffee Syrup: Add about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the water and sugar mixture.

And to top off the flavored syrups, here is my favorite coffee from Starbucks! I don’t go there hardly at all any more since I have been making all my favorite coffee stuff at home! In fact, It has been months since I have been. I think mine tastes much better (I know, I am biased)!

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

2 cups milk
1 cup very strong coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons sugar (or one packet of Splenda)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (plus extra for dusting)
2 heaping spoonfuls of canned pumpkin

Pour all of the ingredients into a pot and heat over medium-high heat until the coffee is steaming hot. Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream & cinnamon. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef

Check out the tomato tart post. Think I might make this for supper tonight!

Do you have any neat gluten-free websites that you visit?

Homemade Oatmeal

Ingredients

1/2 cup of quick cooking oats (7 cents)

1 tbsp powdered milk  (2 cents)

1/8 teaspoon of salt (1 cent)

2 teaspoons of sugar  (1 cent)

1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon (1 cent)

1 tablespoon of brown sugar (5 cents)

1 cup of extremely hot water (free)

Directions

Combine all dry ingredients into your bowl. Add one cup of hot water and allow to sit for about five minutes. During that time mix ingredients together occasionally until desired thickness has been achieved.

Now here is my analysis:

The cost of make one serving of homemade oatmeal is 17 cents. Since there are usually 6 packets per box, the cost for one whole box of oatmeal would be: $1.02. However, if you have all the ingredients on hand from making the first batch, you can make several more packets of oatmeal for free. So it is like getting 6 or 7 boxes of oatmeal for the price of one.

Store bought oatmeal can vary in price depending on what brand you buy. Some generic boxes are only $1 where Quaker can be almost $3 a box.

In my honest opinion, homemade tastes SO much better and is better for you because YOU know the ingredients being used and there is nothing hidden in the mix–plus it is easy on your grocery budget as well!

Which do you like better? Homemade or store bought? Do you have any oatmeal recipes using fruit? I would love to hear them!

Comment #16 Angela M.

Here is what Angela shared:

My favorite back-to-school lunch would probably be a hot roast beef and cheddar sandwich on a crusty bread roll. Toss some fruit or fresh cut veggies in the bag along with your sandwich, and you’re good to go. (This is a really quick lunch to put together if you’ve just made a roast for dinner the night before.)

Congratulations Angela! You will be receiving an email from me shortly so that I can get your shipping address.

Be watching later this week for another giveaway!

This binder is just your average 3 ring binder but it has everything in it to keep my homestead in order!

To get started on my binder,  I printed off a cover from another planner that I use some of the pages from, put in the cover sleeve ( I change this on mood and the amount of ink I have in the printer!) and then gathered up some supplies: divider tabs, paper, all those loose sheets of info that needed a home (my children’s homeschool schedules, menu planners, monthly bill schedules, address book pages, etc., etc.) and plopped them all down in a pile. Now, what categories did I need my binder to have? For me, it looked something like this:

Daily Schedule & ‘To Do’s’

Want To Do’s

Seasonal Chores

Menus/ Food Shopping & Pantry Lists

Bills/Expenses

Farm & Garden

Addresses / www.’s

Homeschool

Family Info

Medical

Herbal

Preparedness

I also got out a zippered / 3 ring case to put pens, post-its, letter opener, stamps, sharpies, etc . = Office in a Bag, for my binder too!

I also got out some of those handy dandy page/sheet protectors, for documents, and such that I want in my binder–should I need to grab-n-go—–my auto insurance info, homeschool law and my certificate to homeschool (for my state), you could put birth certificate copies, medical cards, etc., etc–whatever is applicable to your family.

So, now that you have a list of supplies– gather everything up– then ponder what categories you’ll need for your family binder.

Lisa is blessed to be a Wife to Marc, a Mama to 4 blessings, and a Keeper at Home! They live their off-grid, homestead adventure in the mountains of the Northwest. Seeking the trail, ‘off the beaten path,’ that the Father has called them to follow, they homeschool, homechurch & work from home. They operate their family run business, Homestead Originals where they specialize in wonderful handcrafted goodies! Lisa is also the author of the Homestead Simplicity E-book series that focuses on Encouragement for the Homekeeper, Simple Family Living, Natural Cleaners, and Making Everything from Scratch! Come on by and visit Lisa’s Blog for great ideas, tips, freebies and contests too! To contact Lisa, email Lisa@HomesteadOriginals.com

• Sign up to receive a free guide called “The Windows 7 Guide: From Newbies to Pros”. In this 46 page guide you will be introduced to Windows 7 and what it has to offer. This guide will go over the software compatible issues, you will learn about the new task bar, how to use and customize Windows Aero, what Windows 7 Libraries are all about, what software is included in Windows 7, and how easy networking is with Windows 7 along with other topics. This offer is available to the U.S., U.S. Territories, Canada and Mexico, while supplies last.
• The National Shooting Sports Foundation is offering a FREE Firearms Safety DVD Set and Conservation DVD Set to educators. This offer is available to U.S., U.S. territories, AA, AE, AP and Canada, while supplies last.
• Click here to print a coupon for $0.50 off a Cake Mate Numeral Candle. You many be able to find these for around $1 which would make them free at a store that doubles coupons.
• Get a FREE 8 pc. Cinnastix at Dominos.com with the code EBCS, no other purchase necessary. Your total should come to $0.00 with the carryout option. There have been other codes like this in the past and they didn’t last long.
• Enjoy a free piece of chocolate each month when you sign up for the Godiva Rewards Card. You will also receive a free gift each month you spend $10 or more. Click here to find a location near you.
• Sam’s Club members can sign up to receive a FREE Pampers Dry Max sample. Membership number is required. This offer is available to the U.S. only.
• Request a free sample of Brookie Cookies. Just send your mailing address to info@thebrookiecookie.com. This offer is available while supplies last. They do not mention where they will ship to.
• BlueberryCouncil.org is offering a few blueberry learning freebies. They have classroom activity sheets which are available for download, a free poster and free game sheets. The game sheets must be shipped to a school but it looks like the poster can be sent to a home. U.S. only.
• VantageTravel.com is offering a free 151 Travel Tips Booklet. This offer is available to the U.S., England, Scottland, Canada, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, AA, AE and AP.
• The National Cancer Society is offering a free coloring book “Sammie’s New Mask: A Coloring Book for Friends of Children with Cancer.” This book is available in PDF format OR you can request a copy by emailing sdiekemper@children-cancer.org. This offer is available to U.S. residents only.
• Click here to sign up to receive a free Quick and Easy Work Week Recipes eBook download. After you click the link you will need to enter your email address then complete registration (make sure not to use your primary email address). After that you will be shown some offers which you can skip/say no to before you can download your free ebook. This offer is available to U.S. residents only.
• Recipe For Living has many FREE eCookbooks available for download including desserts, cooking for holidays and special occasions, dinners and so much more. This offer is available internationally.

• Amazon is offering a FREE download of the eBook “Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know” by Hamilton Wright Mabie. You can read this book on a Kindle device or download free programs to read other places: PC, MAC, Blackberry, Android, iPhone or iPad. This offer is available for a limited time only.

About the book: This is collection of well known fairy tales by Grimm’s and others, with an introductory on the history and importance of fairy tales for children. Stories included are The Magic Mirror, Hansel and Grethel, The Story of Aladdin, The White Cat, The Second Voyage of Sinbad, The Golden Goose, The Twelve Brothers, Tom Thumb, Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Blue Beard, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack the, Giant Killer, The Three Bears, The Princess On The Pea, The Ugly Duckling and Beauty and the Beast.