I'm excited to be able to cook so much for Thanksgiving this year! Last Year I did the turkey which was fun but boring. The year before that I did some rolls and pies. That was fun.
I'm excited to have a wider range of things to cook this year! Other members of the family will be providing turkey, potatoes, greenbean casserole, and other staples. This year I get to make Glazed Carrots, Scalloped Cauliflower, Banana Bread, Pecan Pie, Cheesecake, Spinach Balls, and Cranberry sauce, and Cranberry garnish! Yum!
I should get back to cleaning so the apartment is ready for this massive food prep! What are you bringing to Thanksgiving this year?
Stay green,
Yasha
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Thursday, November 07, 2013
The Cheap Date
So my husband and I talked his sister into watching the kids so we could have a little get away for a day. Problem was we had very limited funds to really do any thing extravagant. Luckily some time management, coupons, and luck saved our date.
Usually, when faced with no money and a chance to get away hubby and I just go to the park and stream a movie. Problem was it was too wet and nothing on Netflix really interested us. As luck would have it our family members gave us gift cards last year for Christmas. It was time to put those puppies to use! We used a card at the theater and went to a matinée. No snacks! It's just not worth $7 for a thing of popcorn. Later we had a late lunch with another card and used a coupon. We had planned on getting froyo to top it off but it was getting a bit late. I'll just save that bogo froyo for later.
What would this have coat us normally? Probably about $30-40. Granted that isn't a huge bill but we paid nothing. I much prefer the $0 to $35!
Here is a list of some of the places I visit to get coupons and cards. Cards from family are free but even a discounted card is better than full price at the till.
Livingsocial.com
Groupon.com
http://www.cardpool.com Gift cards to restaurants and stores at 35% off.
www.restaurant.com Gift cards to local restaurants at up to 50% off.
I've also been known to stash away money "for a rainy day" and there are tons of places that we love to visit that are cheap and fun. We have a local retro arcade that has unlimited play time with a $5 cover fee. That and a froyo make a $20 date! Score!
Have fun finding deals!
Stay green,
Yasha
Usually, when faced with no money and a chance to get away hubby and I just go to the park and stream a movie. Problem was it was too wet and nothing on Netflix really interested us. As luck would have it our family members gave us gift cards last year for Christmas. It was time to put those puppies to use! We used a card at the theater and went to a matinée. No snacks! It's just not worth $7 for a thing of popcorn. Later we had a late lunch with another card and used a coupon. We had planned on getting froyo to top it off but it was getting a bit late. I'll just save that bogo froyo for later.
What would this have coat us normally? Probably about $30-40. Granted that isn't a huge bill but we paid nothing. I much prefer the $0 to $35!
Here is a list of some of the places I visit to get coupons and cards. Cards from family are free but even a discounted card is better than full price at the till.
Livingsocial.com
Groupon.com
http://www.cardpool.com Gift cards to restaurants and stores at 35% off.
www.restaurant.com Gift cards to local restaurants at up to 50% off.
I've also been known to stash away money "for a rainy day" and there are tons of places that we love to visit that are cheap and fun. We have a local retro arcade that has unlimited play time with a $5 cover fee. That and a froyo make a $20 date! Score!
Have fun finding deals!
Stay green,
Yasha
Friday, November 01, 2013
Halloween Treat Tray
In less than 2 hours this is what I threw together. A tray supporting 2 bags of Caramel Apple pops, with double fudge brownies topped with Hershey's Dark frosting placed on top of a woven Twizzlers mat. It wasn't too hard and it sure was fast. The Twizzlers took the most time because of the weaving; I've never woven candy before so it was... Let's say there is a learning curve!
Hope your Halloween was full of fun!
Stay green,
Yasha
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Save money! Save health!
Ok, so that title make no grammatical sense. I couldn't think of anything better.
Since I've been posting about allergies and colds I figured this post would go right along with that. Chances are you or someone you know could save some cash. I wish this post would work for all of us but it's rather topic specific.
See, this is about cigarettes. I'm not even going to touch on the health impact. I won't mention it, not even once. I'm going for the money argument. A long time about I used to be a smoker. I know it's hard to quit but the way I eventually did quit was by checking my bank account. I added up everything I spent on cigarettes and I was not happy.
I'm going to make it quick:
Average cost of Cigarettes per pack by state varies from $4.96 in Kentucky to $14.50 in New York. (Prices from theawl.com)
I'm going to run averages a few different ways: The lowest average price per pack $5, Highest price per pack $14.50, and average price per pack $8.4622 or $8.50 for simplicity.
First how much it costs a year.
Smoking only a pack a day you spend: $1,825.00; $5,292.50; or $3,102.50.
Smoking a half pack a day: $912.50; $2646.25; or $1,551.25
Smoking a pack a week: $260.00; $754.00; or $442.00
and 2 packs a day: $3,650.00; $10,585.00; or $6,205.00
Numbers, numbers, numbers...
What does it mean?
For college students:
Since I've been posting about allergies and colds I figured this post would go right along with that. Chances are you or someone you know could save some cash. I wish this post would work for all of us but it's rather topic specific.
See, this is about cigarettes. I'm not even going to touch on the health impact. I won't mention it, not even once. I'm going for the money argument. A long time about I used to be a smoker. I know it's hard to quit but the way I eventually did quit was by checking my bank account. I added up everything I spent on cigarettes and I was not happy.
I'm going to make it quick:
Average cost of Cigarettes per pack by state varies from $4.96 in Kentucky to $14.50 in New York. (Prices from theawl.com)
I'm going to run averages a few different ways: The lowest average price per pack $5, Highest price per pack $14.50, and average price per pack $8.4622 or $8.50 for simplicity.
First how much it costs a year.
Smoking only a pack a day you spend: $1,825.00; $5,292.50; or $3,102.50.
Smoking a half pack a day: $912.50; $2646.25; or $1,551.25
Smoking a pack a week: $260.00; $754.00; or $442.00
and 2 packs a day: $3,650.00; $10,585.00; or $6,205.00
Numbers, numbers, numbers...
What does it mean?
For college students:
Average cost of a 4 year college per year for a full time undergrad $22,092. (according to NCES) So if you smoke a pack a day at the average price of $8.50 a pack you can pay 14% of your tuition out of pocket every year or $12,410.00 by the end of college. That like getting a semester free of loans!
For high school students:
Again with a pack a day.
You can buy a scooter or put a down payment on a car. You can have one very awesome prom dress or tux plus enough cash for weekly mani/pedis and possibly enough for your favorite stylist or shopping trip.
Again with a pack a day.
You can buy a scooter or put a down payment on a car. You can have one very awesome prom dress or tux plus enough cash for weekly mani/pedis and possibly enough for your favorite stylist or shopping trip.
For young adults:
You can use the money to help pay off a student loan, put a down payment on a car, get your weekly mani/pedi, invest in stocks, or put it in a 401k.
So lots of things to do with it other than smoke it.
Stay green,
Yasha
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Fast and Fun Table Setting.
I recently had to set a table for a charity luncheon and found myself in the position of needing new table dressings. I did not want to spend a ton of money dressing the table but it needed to look nice.
I decided to only buy things I would actually use on my own table once the event was finished. Here is what I used to make a table setting for less than $5 per chair and a centerpiece for less than $30, of course depending on what you have on hand cost may vary a bit.
Origami directions
Hobby Lobby Items:
Charger
Butterfly Napkin Rings
Origami Paper
Walmart:
Flowers (look for sale prices!)
Napkins and Placemats Colors vary according to season.
Sushi:
My sushi was a gift from a friend bought off etsy but here is a cute tutorial of how to make felt sushi!
This was a super fun project and the kids will love to help with it!
I decided to only buy things I would actually use on my own table once the event was finished. Here is what I used to make a table setting for less than $5 per chair and a centerpiece for less than $30, of course depending on what you have on hand cost may vary a bit.
Origami directions
Hobby Lobby Items:
Charger
Butterfly Napkin Rings
Origami Paper
Walmart:
Flowers (look for sale prices!)
Napkins and Placemats Colors vary according to season.
Sushi:
My sushi was a gift from a friend bought off etsy but here is a cute tutorial of how to make felt sushi!
This was a super fun project and the kids will love to help with it!
 |
| The centerpiece. Origami and felt sushi around a simple glass vase with flowers from Wal-Mart's Discount section. |
 |
| Close up on the Origami and Felt Sushi. |
 |
| Napkin ring holder made from Butterfly flower ornaments. Wrap the wire round a toilet paper roll. |
 |
| Blue napkins and placemats found at Wal-Mart |
 |
| Green Flower Chargers from Hobby lobby. |
 |
| Final Product! |
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Allergies Again
Oh wonderful flowers blooming and filling my nose with congestion.
I've found better ways to deal with allergies than the tea and honey I used to drink.
My new favorite friend: Immune-Tea by Birthsong Botanicals. I love the taste of this tea! And the smell cannot be beat... Cookies. I can't tell you why but it smells like cookies. You can find it here at their etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/BirthSongBotanicals
To add a boost of vitamin C I've been putting elderberry extract to the tea. It adds a nice fruity flavor and accents the rest of the tea.
To top it off I've been putting a few dried mint leaves and local honey in the tea. Not only do they help soothe sore throats they do wonders for the immune system when fighting off that nasty pollen.
What's your favorite way to fight allergies?
Stay green,
Yasha
I've found better ways to deal with allergies than the tea and honey I used to drink.
To add a boost of vitamin C I've been putting elderberry extract to the tea. It adds a nice fruity flavor and accents the rest of the tea.
To top it off I've been putting a few dried mint leaves and local honey in the tea. Not only do they help soothe sore throats they do wonders for the immune system when fighting off that nasty pollen.
What's your favorite way to fight allergies?
Stay green,
Yasha
Origami Centerpiece
I had to make a table setting for a charity event some months back and decided I wanted to keep the centerpiece on my counter. Of course the whole thing is much too large to a small apartment counter, so I broke it down a bit and used origami to fill in the gaps.
It really didn't cost anything. Most craft stores like Hobby Lobby will carry Origami paper and there are many varieties. This is so much fun to do with the whole family; everyone can make their own favorite shapes to add!
I love this site for origami instructions they have great videos on some of the tricky pieces. Try it out I would love to see your centerpieces! http://www.origami-instructions.com
Stay green,
It really didn't cost anything. Most craft stores like Hobby Lobby will carry Origami paper and there are many varieties. This is so much fun to do with the whole family; everyone can make their own favorite shapes to add!
I love this site for origami instructions they have great videos on some of the tricky pieces. Try it out I would love to see your centerpieces! http://www.origami-instructions.com
Stay green,
Yasha
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| Charity Table |
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| Simple At home piece |
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| Counter top Piece |
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