Photo Credit: Erin Joyce

In the midst of a huge snowstorm for my area, one of our favorite things to do is to make snow cream!

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

This stuff is SO good! Just be sure and don’t use the “yellow” snow!

Snow Cream

Ingredients

• 1 gallon snow (16 cups)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups milk

Directions

1. Gather snow and place in a large, clean bowl. Stir in sugar and vanilla to taste, then stir in just enough milk for the desired consistency. Serve at once or freeze until later.

Hope you enjoy and have lots of fun playing in the snow!

As I am preparing my family for a huge snow storm, I can only think of the fun we are going to have! Instead of looking at this storm as something that could cripple my little town and snow us in, I choose to look at this as a time to really reconnect with my family. We plan on spending time reading together, cooking, playing games, crafting, and of course the building of a snowman and snowball fight!

Speaking of things to do for winter, our newsletter coming out on Monday is all about crafts and things that you can do to beat the winter blues. If your boredom streak is up because you cannot get outside, then you will not want to miss this newsletter! If you have not yet subscribed, you can do so at the top of the blog on the right hand side. You will also get a free menu planning E-Book for signing up!

Here are today’s freebies:

• Get a Healthy Home Guide from Clorox.
• Get free dog sample treats from Natural Nibbles.
• Get a free handy cutter sample for filling out this form.
• Get a free book from The Discerning Times.
• Get a free Being Girl kit for filling out this form.
• Here is a free sample for Skin Like Butter lotion.
• Free sample of Pediasmart or Baby’s Only Organic Formula (thanks Money Saving Mom)
• Free coupon booklet from Pillsbury with $10 worth of coupons.
• From February 1st through 14th, the first 500,000 people who sign up for the new Denny’s Rewards program online will receive a free burger and fries available March 1st through March 7th, 2010. You can sign up for Denny’s Rewards here, but don’t sign up until this promotion starts. (thanks Freebie blogger)
• Free samples from Old Spice shaving.
• Get a free planting guide from Versey’s Seed Catalog.
• Get a free sample of Avery Label Pads from Box Tops 4 Education (thanks Money Saving Mom)
• Get freebies, samples, and coupons when you join the Gluten-Free Circle (free)
• Join the OJ Quench Club and get a free 20oz fruit drink from Orange Julius
• Just a quick reminder that just for Friday 1/29, nearly all Starbucks Coffee Locations in North America will be sampling Sahale Snacks from around 11-2! Please go grab a sample and tell everyone you know to do the same! (thanks I Love Free Things)
• Get a free sample of Kotex.
• Here is a free sample of a Preparedness pack (freeze dried food)

Happy Friday friends! Email me if a link is not working or has expired!

I’m sure the majority of you are familiar with envelope budgeting, where you pull aside cash for various budget categories and keep an envelope for each. Fiscal Geek has a great description, basic how-to’s and commentary on how the system worked for him and his wife. If you’re opposed to carrying around cash, here is an interesting idea for using prepaid gift cards, instead. Dave Ramsay has a fancy-schmancy envelope system that comes in a nice case. It’s $19.95, but might be worth the investment, especially if you like things all neat and tidy (and a great system will help keep you motivated). And, for those of you who don’t get our weekly newsletter, you missed these free envelope template and tutorial from from Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs. These are beautiful and would be so fun to use.

Now, I already told you that I try and use my credit card as much as possible to get the rewards points, but I still manage to use a virtual version of the envelope system. I use YNAB (You Need A Budget) software and love it. It is a bit more work in that you need to enter all your checks and card charges, but it works for me. Each month I budget the amount I have to spend in each category (envelope) and distribute my income accordingly. The great thing is that each credit card charge is deducted from my envelop as I enter it and not when I pay the bill at the end of the month. This gives me a more true picture of how much money I actually have available.This program also builds in a one month cushion if you use it correctly. You slowly build up a “buffer”, at which point  the money you make in January, is not budgeted until February. And, since I  set aside funds in envelopes for upcoming expenses, that estimated tax payment or dental bill no longer hurts when I write the check. I’ve already budgeted for it and the money is there!

I tested several trial programs before deciding YNAB was the one for me. Another popular program is Mvelopes.com, which also has a free trial. PearBudget is also very popular and offers a 30 day free trial ($3/month thereafter).  If you have Excel, you can download this free program. Simply trying one of these programs for 30 days, might be an eye-opening endeavor if you haven’t tried it before.

The envelope budgeting method helps you:

• Spend only what you have
• Choose your priorities (if you overspend in one category, you must take from another)
• Stay out of debt
• Easily assess your spending habits

Do you or have you used the envelope system? Do you have any tips or tricks? What is your favorite system? Simple or high-tech?

This is a pretty important first step when it comes to trying to organize clothing–both for yourself, and for your family. Have a strategy!

1. Only keep clothes in your closet and drawers that actually FIT. For adults, if you think you will gain weight/lose weight and want to hold onto clothes–I understand. But put them in under-the-bed boxes or bags and simplify your daily life. Make it EASY to get organized, and stay organized. For kids, keep clothing that doesn’t currently fit anyone in boxes, clearly labelled. Those boxes (or under the bed bags) should be labelled by gender and size. e.g Boys 2-4, Girls 8-12, etc. 

2. Decide what clothing you really need, based on your current lifestyle. I’m a work-at-home, homeschooling mom. I don’t need 6 business suits in my closet, no matter what a good deal they were or how nice they look. I took 5 to the consignment store, and kept one black one that can be dressed up or down with different accessories.

3. I tend to buy plain clothing of the best quality I can afford–and I mean at consignment and thrift shops, yard sales, and occasionally retail. A long sleeved black T-shirt can be accessorized for a dozen different looks. Cute scarves, pins, necklaces, and purses can be picked up for next to nothing at yard sales and thrift shops. A knee-length skirt in a solid color can be as dressy or casual as you want it to be!

4. This is a guideline only–I recognize everyone’s taste in fashion and opinion on clothing is different. I do tend to be a minimalist. For instance, I would never consider buying a shirt that will only go with one skirt–everything has to be versatile. I have 3 khaki skirts in different fabrics/cuts/lengths. With colorful t-shirts and sweaters and scarves I can come up with dozens of outfits. Similarly, I have a couple of denim skirts, 2 black ones, and a brown one that are the workhorses of my wardrobe. Add a couple of pairs of decent fitting jeans and khakis. . . and I can build so many different looks. That doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally buy a fun, patterned piece of clothing, but only if it will work with the basic pieces I already have.

5. You really can’t go wrong with a good-fitting plain black short-sleeved dress (or gray, brown, or whatever your favorite neutral.) If it’s comfortable and flattering, you can wear it again and again with different accessories, adding a jacket, cardigan or shawl in cool weather.

6. Think through the kids’ clothing too. Before buying that cute little skirt for your daughter, ask yourself what she will wear with it, and how many different outfits you can easily make by pairing it with shirts she already has. Just have a strategy for every item of clothing. It sounds basic, I know, but I forget my OWN advice far too often, especially when it comes to the kids.

Do you have a wardrobe that works for your current needs? You CAN work towards building one inexpensively over time. Have a strategy. Now I have a question: What is the “workhorse” of your wardrobe? What item(s) would you recommend to other wives and moms?

Clutter’s Last Stand

I absolutely love Don Aslett. His organizational techniques and tips have helped me tremendously in getting things better organized.

Since this is the last week of organization skills, I thought we might go out with a bang and giveaway a copy of this book!

All you have to do to enter is answer this question:

What is the worst cluttered area in your home?

(If you are reading this on Facebook or Twitter, please come to the original blog post by clicking on the title and enter your comment to enter.)

This contest will end on Sunday January 31st and a winner will be chosen on Monday, February 1st.

Good luck!!

One of the worst things in the world that I can do is not prepare for our dinner time. In order to make sure you have a smooth dinner time with your family, and a smooth cooking time while preparing, here are some tried and true tips that have worked for me.

When I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is look at my menu for that day. Is there a bread that needs to be prepared in advance? What dessert do I have planned? Is there anything that I am out of that I may need to run to the store to get?

After going over my menu, I start deciding if anything can be baked early. If I have a dessert on the menu, I always make sure that this is prepared way before I start cooking for our meal. I also bake the bread earlier in the day so that later, it can just be warmed up to serve with the food.

Set the table before you start cooking as that will be one other thing out of the way that will not need to be done right before serving. Lay all dishware out including drinking glasses.

When you get ready to start cooking, lay all your ingredients out to keep from making so many trips to the pantry and the refrigerator.

Last but not least, enjoy yourself while you prepare dinner. I love listening to soothing music that calms my nerves while I cook.

What about you? How do you prepare for the dinner hour at your home?

For those of you who entered the Purposeful Planning giveaway, there was something that I forgot to mention that might help you out!

If you are a military family, Phyllis gives you a Purposeful Planning e-book or mp3 audio for FREE!

Simply email her at Phyllis@Phyllis-Sather.com and let her know which one you would like for free and that you are a military family!

You can read more about the details of this on her website by going HERE.

I subscribe to receive emails from the website Simplify 101. An email last week sparked a “lightbulb moment” for me. I quote: ” . . . become mindful of the things you add to your home and life. For each thing you add, decide to remove something old. So, if you add a new shirt to your closet, take out an old one. If you add an exercise class to your weekly schedule, subtract the equivalent amount of time from another activity such as web-surfing or watching T.V.”  (emphasis mine)

For a long time I’ve actively practiced this “equation” when it comes to belongings and purchases, and it works beautifully. But I have honestly never thought about how it applies to time management. I’m so guilty of stuffing more and more commitments and expectations into my days and weeks, and then wondering why I can’t get everything done. I’m SO glad for this lightbulb moment!  So, I find myself looking at my current commitments and expectations using my “mantra” Evaluate, Prioritize . . . then Organize.

It hasn’t taken me long to figure out that something(s) got to go. Remember, for every new time commitment you add, decide what you’re NOT going to do, in order to free up that time. Balance the equation.

And remember to rest. After 6 days of Creation, God rested. Cycles of rest are woven into creation and throughout Scripture. Why do we think we can do without it?

Do you struggle with that balance? Any tips or success stories to share with our readers?

Photo by Erin Joyce