Beautiful Custom Jewelry Giveaway from Lisa Leonard Designs

[Update: And the winner is... Jody from Mommy Moment! Congratulations!! Thanks to everyone for entering this fun giveaway! ]

It's time for another fun giveaway -- this one from the lovely and super-talented Lisa Leonard from Lisa Leonard Designs! If you have not seen her beautiful custom jewelry before, it is amazing! Each piece is unique and perfect for everyday wear.

I have been an admirer of her jewelry for some time now, so when Lisa contacted me to see if I would host a giveaway, I jumped at the chance! I adore the clean design of these pieces, plus Lisa is an absolute sweetheart. Any piece from her jewelry collection would make the perfect Mother's Day gift..... (Hint, hint, Mark... Hee hee!)

Now the fun part -- One lucky reader will win a $50 gift certificate for Lisa Leonard Designs! To enter for your chance to win, visit Lisa's shop and leave a comment telling me which piece is your favorite. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments field! Tweet/Blog/Facebook about this fun giveaway, and you're in for three more entries!! (Just be sure to leave a comment that you blogged/Facebooked/tweeted).

This giveaway ends Saturday, March 13th @ 6:30pm EST and winner will be chosen by random.org

This giveaway is now closed! Thanks to everyone from entering! Another fun giveaway starts soon, so be sure to check back! 

Volunteering Fun at the Food Co-op

I took Emily with me for a fun day of volunteering at our local food co-op! The co-op features lots of fabulous local, organic food: cereals, pastas, meats, cheeses, eggs, milk, etc. She was very excited to be able to help out. We both put on our aprons and got to work -- we were kept very busy!

There was lots of measuring, labeling, putting price tags on items....

...ringing up customers...

...stocking the shelves....

...and sweeping the floors!

At the end of the day, Emily exclaimed, "What a fun day!". I think she will be sleeping well tonight.

EcoStore USA Review and Giveaway

I use many different kinds of Earth-friendly cleaning products in our household, so when EcoStore USA contacted me to do a review and giveaway I was very intrigued. EcoStore USA is an e-commerce site that sells plant-based, non-toxic household cleaning, baby, and personal care items. I chose to review the Naturally Antibacterial Spray Cleaner and the Baby Shampoo -- two products I am particularly picky about!

First, the spray cleaner... Two things I noticed right away: 1. it has a light lemon scent (lovely) and 2. a little bit goes a long way. I put this cleaner to the test by tackling the crusty crud that lives under Clara's booster seat. You know, the spot that seems to regenerate almost overnight with grime and enough crumbs to feed a small flock of birds? Yeah, that spot.

Here's the before photo:

....and after (MUCH better)!

So, Earth-friendly AND it cleans very well using very little spray.... I am impressed!

Next up was the baby shampoo (seen here)...

Again, this shampoo did not disappoint. I had great results using a very small amount on both of my girls' hair. It lathers up quite nicely, has a unique and pleasant scent, and easily rinsed out leaving their hair clean and shiny.... beautiful!

Now the fun part, EcoStore USA is offering you the chance to win a $25 gift certificate to be used on their website, plus free shipping! Giveaway is open to all US and Canadian residents only.

Ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post and be sure to include you email address in the comments field.
2. Tweet or blog about this giveaway. Come back here and leave a comment that you tweeted/blogged about it.
3. Follow EcoStore USA on Twitter. Come back here and leave a comment that you are now following them.

Easy, right??

You may also be interested to know that EcoStore USA is featuring a BOGO back-to-school promotion on orders of $50 or more, and shipping is always free on orders over $25!!

Winner will be chosen by random.org and giveaway ends Wednesday, August 19th @ 6:30pm EST. Good luck!!

Thrift Store Finds - Fabric Galore!

Oh, I have big plans for this pile of fabric found in the form of sheets and pillowcases at our local thrift store. The color theme for this weekend was pale yellow, light sage green, peach, and tan. I scored the entire set for just $11.00!

I love that this baby girl was almost as excited as I was!

Cheap Thrills

Armed with a roll of pennies, I took Emily to a local outdoor shopping mall to make 50 wishes in the fountain. Among her many wishes, these were my favorites:

"I wish Daddy had a new car."

"I wish... I wish....... I had a fountain.... in my ROOM!!"

"I wish I could be five years old forever!"

"I wish I could go to China." (She seems to have an endless obsession with China.)

And my personal favorite... "I wish for a new toy for Mommy!"

After making all those wishes, we went to Fresh Market where she got a free sugar cookie... Yum! Then headed over to Old Navy to try on sunglasses, and take glamour shots.
Yes, those are cookie crumbs on her face. Total cost of our fun afternoon = $0.50!!

Shopping with Intention

Now that Emily has recovered from this incident, I took her to Dollar Tree this afternoon for a special shopping trip to fill some Jared Boxes for our local hospital. If you are not familiar with Jared Boxes, you can read more about them here. Basically, the idea is to fill a shoebox-sized plastic container with new games and toys intended for ill children that you then donate to your local hospital to distribute.

Jared Boxes are made up of very inexpensive items, many of which can be purchased at a Dollar Tree, or some place similar. Emily enjoyed choosing all of the items for our Jared Boxes including (but not limited to): crayons, a coloring book, stickers, a small stamp set, a puzzle, and a card game. She even picked out items for the baby Jared Box: a ball, board book, receiving blanket, small stuffed animal, and bib.

Be sure NOT to include any hair items, and no food items please!

Altogether, it was just $12 to fill two Jared Boxes to the brim with games and toys! We are looking forward to delivering these to the hospital. I was under the impression that they were running a little low.... both of my girls received boy boxes! Nevertheless, they LOVED them!

For detailed directions on how you can put together a Jared Box, click here.

$10 Barnes and Noble Gift Card Caption Contest

I thought this would be a fun contest! Emily woke up on the wrong side of the bed one morning and wasn't her usual cheerful self.

For your chance to win a $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble, leave a comment with a caption to the photo above. I am not affiliated with Barnes and Noble, and comments are moderated. Keep in mind, this is a family site -- keep it clean, people!

Winner will be chosen Wednesday, July 1st @ 6:30pm EST. Good luck!!

$5 Friday -- Outdoor Picnic Snack for Five Bucks

This Memorial Day weekend, I'm sure there will be lots of picnics and barbecues. For $5 Friday, I took the girls with me for a special trip to the grocery store to see how far we could stretch our $5 for an outdoor picnic snack! 

Here's what we purchased for less than $5:

1 lb. organic carrots = $0.99

1/3 lb. red seedless grapes = $0.66

1 bag white cheddar popcorn = $0.50

1 bag soy nuts = $1.49

1 box pasta salad mix = $1.00

1 pitcher ice water = free

Total spent = $4.64!!

I made the dip for the carrots by stretching the ranch seasoning packet from the pasta salad mix with a little more mayo and added some milk to make it a little more creamy. It worked well!

Happy Frugal Picnicking!

Teaching Kids the Art of Thrift Shopping

We have been experiencing a block of insanely beautiful and warm weather here recently, and I suddenly realized Emily's Spring/Summer wardrobe is severely lacking. Since she is built similarly to a bean pole, I tend to have a difficult time finding pants that fit her. Thankfully, shorts and skirts are much easier. So I brought her along for a little Thrift Shop 101 lesson. Here are some things we covered so far:

1. Donation -- The girls' room was due for a thorough cleaning, and we used a bag to store unused or old toys for donation. I started doing this with her when she was about three years old or so, so by now she knows the drill. I explained to her then that instead of throwing these toys in the garbage, we could bless some other little girl or boy with her things by donating them to the thrift store, and she may find other new-to-her toys that she might enjoy playing with more instead. I let her carry the bag into the store and give it to the person behind the counter. Hearing her say, "Excuse me, I want to donate this" just makes my day.


2. Pride -- There is no shame in shopping second-hand. It is good for the environment, and it reduces waste that would otherwise be sent to a landfill. Plus, there are real bargains to be found! Shopping at a thrift store should be done with as much pride as donating, since you are passing on the virtues of buying second-hand with your children.


3. Purchase with Intention -- This is true for any shopping we do, but for some reason I find myself asking Emily these questions more while we are thrift shopping. Do you have room for it? Will you play with it, or use it often? Is it in good condition? Do you really love it? If the answer is no to any of these, don't buy it! Be picky about what you allow into your home.


4. Inspection of Merchandize -- Check clothing to make sure no buttons are missing, that there are no stains or rips, and that any zippers are working. If the piece can be mended relatively easily, and it's a good deal otherwise, I will usually go ahead and buy it. I do try to inspect merchandize to make sure I won't get any "surprises" when I get home.


5. The Element of Surprise -- One of my favorite Emily quotes from today was, "At the thrift store, you never know what you might find there!". This is the fun of it. You may not find exactly what you intended to buy that day, but you may find something else equally as charming -- for a bargain price!

Do you ever visit the thrift shop with your kids? I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment and share your stories with us!

What's in your pantry?

Since I only do grocery shopping once a month, a well-stocked pantry is a necessity. Here are some of our favorite healthy and inexpensive pantry foods:

1. Oatmeal
2. Brown Rice
3. Whole Wheat Pasta
4. Dried Beans
5. Potatoes
6. Canned Tuna
7. Peanut Butter
8. Canned Tomatoes

I'm very curious to find out what you keep in your pantry. Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

Free Menu Planner

Here is the worksheet I use to create our weekly menus. It is free for download, and if you post it on your blog, I would really appreciate a link back to Frugal Family Fun Blog. Thanks so much!

It is simple, but it works for us. To get more menu planning ideas, see this post.

Meal Planner

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Menus Cooking & Menus budget save money

Want to be extra frugal? Print out the worksheet and use a sheet protector, write with dry erase markers, and your menu planner is reusable!

The Secrets to Once a Month Grocery Shopping

If you have never tried once a month grocery shopping, February is the perfect month to start!  With just 28 days, if you are already accustomed to shopping every other week, once a month shopping for this month will not feel like much of a stretch.  Here are some tips to get started:

1. Leave the Kids at Home -- Do not attempt to schlep the kids to the grocery store for a once a month trip.  Ask a trusted neighbor, or hire a babysitter for a few hours, if needed. You will save enough money to make it worthwhile to hire a babysitter.
2. Plan Your Menu -- Match sale ads and coupons to plan your monthly menu around those items.  See my related post Frugal Meal Planning 101 for more information.
3. Go Shopping with a List -- Only buy items on your list. If you pick up any items that are not on the list, place them in the front basket of your cart. Before you check out, review the items in the basket, choose one, and put the other items back on the shelf.
4. Buy Meat in Bulk -- Many grocery stores feature "loss leaders" and you may be able to purchase meat in bulk at deeply discounted prices.  Set aside 1 week's worth and freeze the rest in family-meal-sized portions.
5. Stock the Pantry -- Keep a well-stocked pantry with budget-friendly foods purchased at the lowest possible price. Some examples are rice, potatoes, beans, and canned tuna. 
6. Stock the Freezer -- You may find it cheaper to purchase fresh produce (in season) and freeze it yourself.  Keeping meat in the freezer will ensure it will stay good for the entire month.
7. Use Fresh Produce in the Order it Will Perish First -- Some fruits and vegetables stay fresher longer than others.  Try to use up bananas, grapes, cucumbers, and strawberries during the first week or two.  Apples, oranges, carrots, potatoes, onions, and even eggs can generally last one month if stored properly.
8. What About Milk? -- Milk is the only exception where I ask my husband to pick some up at the store about half way through the month. However, it may be worth purchasing a few gallons of organic ultra-pasteurized milk since this will last a full month.

Is your family trying once a month grocery shopping for the first time this month? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment and share your story with us!

Thrift Store Finds -- Woo Hoo!

I have been on the look-out for next year's holiday dresses for the girls, and at the thrift store today I found these gorgeous dresses (in next year's sizes)!  Aren't they beautiful? Emily's cost just $4.99!  Clara's was $3.99, but they had a sale for 50% off all blue tagged merchandize, making this cute dress just $1.99!! I have found that this is the best time of the year for thrift store finds, since there are tons of un-wanted Christmas gifts (which could turn out to be your treasures).

Did you find something fabulous at a thrift store recently?  I would love to hear about it! Leave us a comment and share your story with us!

Top 5 Things to Buy Used

Photo by DIY City Mag

I am a huge fan of shopping at thrift stores, consignment shops, and yard sales for used items.  Not only is this a great money-saving strategy, it is also better for the environment.  Buying used requires less resources to produce, and helps keep waste out of landfills.  

Here is my top 5 list of things to buy used:

1. Books --  I never buy new books anymore.  Instead, I frequently borrow books from the library for free, or search for used books.  See my related post: Alternatives to buying new books for more information.
2. Wooden Furniture --  Huge savings here!  Check the condition and if the furniture seems sturdy, you may be able to refinish the surface and have a "like new" piece to add to your home.
3. Lighting and Home Decor --  Lamps, light fixtures, and other home decor items usually go for about 10% of the original purchase price.  With lighting, be sure it is UL certified.
4. Children's Clothing --  Kids outgrow their clothes at such a rapid rate.  Instead of stressing over whether or not that stain is going to come out of little Johnny's new outfit, try finding quality used kids clothes and save yourself a ton of money. If the price is right, I have been known to stockpile clothes for the girls for years to come.
5. Glassware/Bakeware -- You can find significant savings in used glassware or bakeware.  If you see an item you like, be sure to purchase it right away.  Items in thrift stores tend to move very quickly!

Have a favorite thing you like to buy used?  Leave us a comment and share your ideas with us!