Make movie-theater popcorn at home
photo by aspaonline
DEAR SARA: We used to have a hot-air popcorn maker back in the day, and its long since been history. Now I’m looking around for hot-air popcorn makers, and they’re kind of overpriced, around $50. I’m trying to make popcorn without the oils/butter, etc. Some of the reviews I’ve read have said the units are too hot to touch after you’ve popped the corn or it shoots scalding hot kernels out of the machine at you. Just wondered how you pop your popcorn, not the microwave bag kind, and if you could recommend a popcorn maker. — Libby, Canada
DEAR LIBBY: Popcorn poppers are very easy to find secondhand. Look in garage sales, thrift stores or online on Freecycle, Kijiji.com or eBay.com. If you’re looking to buy new, I’d continue to watch sales. Most air poppers are going to shoot a kernel or two. West Bend makes great air poppers. Their older model, Poppery II (found secondhand), can double as a coffee-bean roaster, too. You can read more about it at www.frugalvillage.com/2007/12/27/gourmet-coffee-on-the-cheap. But if you want a recommendation, I’d buy a Whirly Pop stovetop popper. It does use a little oil to prevent sticking, but is cheap to buy ($20 or so new). You’ll love the taste (like movie theater popcorn), every kernel pops, it’s long-lasting and the experience is just more fun.
DEAR SARA: What’s the best place to order new checks? I need new checks, and I know I can find them cheaper than through my bank. Any suggestions for specific companies? There’s about a million and a half of them online. I would like to find one that has a debit register too, the little register that fits with your debit card. Thanks. — Akolb, Louisiana
DEAR AKOLB: I’d call your bank and see if they offer any discounts or if there’s any way to get free checks. You can also buy them through Wal-Mart (www.walmartchecks.com) or Costco at a discount. You’re right: There are a ton of online sources. Places such as checksunlimited.com, 4checks.com and bestvaluechecks.com all offer discount checks. You can also print your own checks using software such as Checksoft Personal Deluxe, which you can find at stores such as Staples. I write very few checks and get them through my credit union. Be sure to verify your checks for accuracy.
DEAR SARA: I made a two-layer cake tonight and do not have a cake dome or any container big enough to fit it in. It’s frosted with store-bought frosting. How should I go about storing it? Foil? — Rhayne, New Jersey
DEAR RHAYNE: I’d place a large bowl or pan over the top or insert toothpicks into it and cover loosely with plastic wrap. You can check a local bakery or grocery store bakery and see if they’ll sell you a cake box or container. If your store-bought frosting isn’t extremely perishable (no dairy or uncooked eggs), then your cake can set out on the counter. Wrap like I mentioned above or at least use a loose-foiled tent. Now might be a good time to invest in a cake keeper, too.
Continue reading Make movie-theater popcorn at home …
From Frugal Village.
MCCC Lifelong Learning schedule is up
This post is for my readers in and near Monroe County, Mich.:
The Monroe County Community College Lifelong Learning program features community education classes that are open to the public.
Residents of Monroe County age 60 and older have a 50 percent tuition discount.
And a really cool perk is that any semester in which you register for a class – and this policy does include Lifelong Learning classes – you can use the MCCC Fitness Center for free.
The January semester schedule has been announced, and the catalog was distributed in Thursday’s edition of The Monroe Evening News. Class topics of interest to Monroe on a Budget readers include:
- Planting a new vegetable garden.
- Growing fruit in backyards and landscapes.
- Cooking techniques for seasonal and home-grown produce.
- Markets and your money.
- Retirement planning today.
- Computer upgrade and building basics.
- eBay selling basics.
- Fundamentals of landlording.
- Cash in with a successful home-based business.
- Debt-free living.
Continue reading MCCC Lifelong Learning schedule is up …
From Monroe on a Budget.
Coupon Helps
Do any of you get All You magazine? I got a free subscription this year and this month’s issue has some really neat information about coupons. I thought since the end of the month is here, I would share with you some of those helps!
First, since it is the end of the month, you need to make sure and purge all those expired coupons. Nothing can be more frustrating than getting to the store, grabbing a coupon, only to realize it has expired. Many coupons will expire on December 31st so now is the best time to get those out and use them.
Did you know you can trade coupons you don’t plan on using for coupons you are going to use? There are several sites where you can trade coupons with others. One of those sites is A Full Cup. Another one especially for baby coupons is Baby Cheapskate. Just click on the link that says baby coupon traders. Other message boards that All You readers suggested were My Savings, Fatwallet, Hot Coupon World, and Mommysavers. I have never traded coupons before, so if you have I would love to hear how your experience has gone.
They also suggested that you can buy or sell bulk coupons on Ebay. I have never personally bought any from there, but I have sold them on E-Bay and made a little money in the process. Be sure if you are going to sell coupons anywhere that you state you are not really selling the coupon itself, but you are selling your time and effort in cutting them. Also check Yahoo groups for coupon trading groups.
What do you do when it comes to collecting coupons? I would love to hear your stories.
Continue reading Coupon Helps …
From Econobusters.
Four Christmases
Yes, four Christmases. How many do you have? Ours get kicked off today.
Dan’s Paternal Nana
Nana and two of Dan’s aunts are visiting us today, weather permitting. We exchange a small gift with Nana and are going to give a few pictures to the aunts. Daniel is pretty excited to see them. He loves it when Dan or I are chatting with either Nana or “Auntie” on Facebook. I expect a lot of rough play with “Auntie” today. She is a gem of an aunt.
My Mom’s Family
We alternate Christmas between Dan’s family and my mom’s family. This year is Dan’s family’s turn, so we see my mom’s family on Christmas Eve. There is a massive gift exchange here, with everyone buying everyone else presents. On Christmas Eve, my mom hosts a get together. I like to help her with the cooking. My kids love to play with her young step-children.
Dan’s Maternal Nana
We will be going to the home of Dan’s maternal Nana on Christmas day. We exchange gifts with Dan’s parents and Dan’s Nana. I love my in-laws, especially Dan’s cousins, who have become dear friends. We went from seeing them several times a week to seeing them a few times a year, so we are looking forward to seeing everyone. Most of Dan’s family hasn’t met Thomas yet. Even though our children are the only ones of their generation, we expect a lot of playing to be going on.
My Dad’s Family
We always get together the week after Christmas. We go to an all you-can-eat Chinese restaurant, then go back to my sister’s house, that used to be my grandparent’s house. We do a small gift exchange, where everyone buys for everyone else, but nothing big. My Dad sells stuff on ebay for a living, so he gives out the yard sale stuff that wouldn’t sell.
My Multiple Christmases Tip
My non-tightwaddish but sanity-saving holiday tip for people with a lot of Christmases: buy a package of disposable diapers. That’s my solution for pretty much all hectic times. It’s my Christmas present to myself. I get a week without washing cloth diapers. I don’t have to bag up poopy diapers and take them with us in the car for two hours. I don’t have to explain anything about cloth diapering to family members, because no one will ask.
Do you have any tips on surviving many Christmases and hectic holidays?
Continue reading Four Christmases …
From Under $1000 Per Month.
Going from two incomes to one
photo by Rubbermaid Products
Transitioning to one income can be tough. The more time you have to plan, the easier it can be. It may seem impossible to make ends meet, but often, there are added costs to being a two-income family. Try this handy “how much does that lifestyle of hard work REALLY benefit you and your family” calculator at www.jobsformoms.com/income-test. Sometimes, it can end up being cheaper for one person to stay home. One spouse being home leaves additional time to focus on frugality, too.
If you’ve gone from a two-income family to a single income, how did you prepare?
Here are a few suggestions.
TRIAL PERIOD: Try to live at least a few months on one income and bank the other. Look over your budget and see what spending can be reduced or eliminated. During these months, read and learn as many money-saving strategies as you can. For example, consider free and low-cost entertainment, decrease dining out, etc.
INCREASE YOUR PANTRY: Focus on stockpiling pantry and freezer foods. You’ll be thankful to have it as a cushion if money gets tight.
SUPPLEMENT INCOME: Identify ways you can supplement your income if needed. It can be simple ways, such as occasional babysitting, working weekends or during holidays, or selling items on eBay.com or on consignment. One reader, Katherine in Georgia, shares: “I used to go to an outlet the day they did new markdowns and buy everything that was 95 percent off to sell on eBay. It usually did really well because it was new. I would peel the markdown off and leave the store tags, and sell at about half of the tag price. Whatever didn’t sell (most of it usually did), I would store and list later or have a yard sale.” The important thing is to have an idea of ways to make extra money before you need it.
PAY DOWN DEBT: In the months or weeks before leaving your job, pay down as much debt as possible and build up your savings.
SUPPORT: Often, leaving your job and staying home can be isolating. Have a support system in place. Don’t burn any bridges with your employer. You want to keep your options open. Also, your days will be different. If you have kids at home, you’ll need to organize your time. Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day. Another reader, Kristie in Colorado, adds: “What saved my life was being involved in a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers, www.mops.org) group. It met at my church and does at many churches across the country. I started when my first baby was born and loved it so much that I stayed involved for 10 years! A MOPS morning consisted of an interesting speaker, a yummy breakfast, craft time, making friends with women at the same stage of life as you, and best of all, a little break from the kiddos, who are in their own fun program.”
RE-EVALUATE: Every few months, re-evaluate your situation. Are you doing OK financially and emotionally? Identify any weak areas that can be improved.
ADD TO YOUR SKILLS: While home, learn new skills or keep your current skills updated. You can achieve this through taking classes, learning on your own or through volunteer work. You never know if and when you might want to re-enter the workforce. Keep your resume updated, too. Don’t forget before leaving your job to get reference letters and letters of appreciation or recognition. These letters can help you with any future interviews.
Continue reading Going from two incomes to one …
From Frugal Village.
Extended Family Christmas Budget
I am a daughter of a divorced household, so we have two Christmases. My husband’s parents are married, but both grandmothers are alive. Thus we have two sides of the family to work with there, too.
My Mother’s Family
Adults
They usually want pictures of the kids for Christmas, and I like making food for them. One Christmas craft with stevia fudge will be going to everyone. I’m going to be maki
ng my mom some Ukranian egg ornaments and, if I have time, I’ll make some for my aunts and Grammy. I’ll be posting about these this coming week. I budgeted $20 to give my mom some fun jewelry and she will also get surplus stevia.
Kids
I have a young step-brother and step-sister, aged five and eight. I have budgeted $5 for each. He is getting a small toy car,
My Father’s Family
Adults
My Dad had more kids than my mom. My mom had me and my two brothers, who are twins. One brother is counted in my Mom’s family, getting a Christmas craft and fudge, and the other doesn’t celebrate Christmas. Then, from my Dad, I have my half brother and sister, each of whom will get a Christmas craft with fudge.
Dad and my step-mom will get a Christmas craft with fudge, my old bread maker and bulk yeast that I never got around to putting on ebay, and surplus stevia. I asked if they wanted the bread maker and surplus yeast for Christmas and they did. I might have gotten more than what I usually budget for them if I resold it, up to $40, but I’m glad to be giving it to someone who can use it.
Kids
I was thinki
ng of making a cheesecake for my step-sister. I did cheesecakes for everyone a few years ago and she ate the one I gave to her family real fast. She’s 13 and doesn’t eat much, so she needs it. I found a Wham-o ball
My Husband’s Family
They used to have a gift swap where everyone drew a name and gave a gift of about $10. Dan’s uncle has been under-employed for several years now and has two kids in college, so that has stopped. They still buy for our kids, which I would rather they didn’t, but I guess it makes them happy to buy gifts for little kids. Just about everyone buys too much for our kids.
We exchange gifts with Dan’s parents. We have an up to $40 budget for them, and it’s Dan’s job to decide what to do. I always have lots of suggestions for him, though, because I like to help. They will also be getting the Christmas craft and fudge.
Dan’s maternal grandmother has Alzheimer’s so we are giving her lots of pictures of us and the kids along with her Christmas craft with stevia fudge. Dan’s paternal grandmother will also get a Christmas craft and some Turkish egg ornaments if I have time to make extra.
Everyone in each branch of the family will also get wallet sized photos of the kids.
To sum up, we have a $20 budget for each of our parents, including step-parents. We have a $5 budget for the kids we buy for. Everyone else gets the same homemade gift.
The purchased gifts have been bought with swagbucks Amazon.com gift cards. Yes, swagbucks paid for Christmas. If you haven’t signed up yet, you should. If you have, refer your friends. Referring is not only good for you, it is good for your friends, too. (For full disclosure, this post is full of Amazon referral links, but their primary purpose is to show what cool stuff I’m getting, not to sell you that stuff.) If I didn’t have swagbucks, about half of this would have been saved for, and half would be purchased through mystery shopping.
So, I’ve gotten my family’s shopping done, but I still have crafts and cooking and wrapping. I’ll be writing a separate post about our immediate family’s budget and what we’ll be getting each other. That shopping I have not finished yet.
How much shopping have you gotten done?
How do you decide how much to spend on everyone?
Will this year be different than last?
Continue reading Extended Family Christmas Budget …
From Under $1000 Per Month.
The Costs of Preparing for Additional Children
Megan writes in:
Congratulations on your third child! My husband and I are expecting our second child in February. I hope you’ll write an article about how to save money when another child comes along.
Your wish is my command, Megan. Here are some of the ways we’re preparing for our third child.
Diapers
As I’ve mentioned before, we cloth diaper our children at home (we occasionally use disposables when traveling or when others are watching our children). Doing this drastically reduces the diapering cost for later children.
To reduce the startup cost, we bought many of our cloth diapers on eBay. Some people might be shocked at this, but the truth is that we’ve never had a bad experience buying them on eBay. Most of the diapers we receive are in really good shape – nearly unused. I think this might be because people tried partial cloth diapering (with just a few) and found that it didn’t work well for them. I’ll say that for us, cloth diapering becomes easier the more we do it. It’s actually easier to have our child wear nothing but cloth for a week than half cloth and half disposable – there’s less clutter, for one, and when you use nothing but cloth, the whole thing becomes utterly routine.
Anyway, after your initial outlay of money, cloth diapering is extremely inexpensive (and really environmentally friendly to boot). The first batch of cloth diapers we purchased are about to be used for the third time, meaning the cost per use of these diapers is already lower than disposables and is about to go substantially lower. We simply won’t have to buy many diapers for this baby.
If you plan on having more than one child, give cloth diapering a shot. It’s not really cost effective for just one, but the savings are huge with the second, third, etc. child.
Clothes
Unless you’re absolutely sure that you’re not having any additional children, don’t throw away, give away, or sell the clothes from your earlier children. Fold them up, put them in a storage tub, and put them somewhere out of the way. Later on, you might make a conscious medical choice to no longer have children, at which point you can sell off the clothes. Otherwise, a big tub or two of infant, toddler, and kid clothes is like a hidden treasure trove.
Again, we have a ton of these things packed away for the next child. Since many of the baby-sized clothes are only worn a few times per child, many of the items look practically new, yet they’ll be on their third use. All the way along, it’s worthwhile to save clothes that can still afford some wear, because many children’s clothes (like t-shirts, jeans, and so on) work well for both genders. (We tend to buy lots of greens and yellows.)
Beds
What about a bed? Our solution is simple – we’re just going to upgrade the bed of the oldest child by looking for youth beds at yard sales and the like. Then, his younger sister will move into his old bed and her younger sibling will take her crib.
Just like clothes, beds work well as “hand me down” type items. That doesn’t mean that the oldest child always gets the new items and the others get the used ones – quite often, his items are used as well.
Toys
We try to consistently buy our children small numbers of very open-ended toys for their birthdays and for Christmases – building blocks and the like. By buying small numbers of items, we don’t clutter up our home (well… not too much). By buying sturdy items, they can take a beating and can easily be passed down. By buying open-ended items – like building blocks and art supplies – we have items that all of the children can use, often together. Our two children now have big art days where we cover the kitchen table or the living room table with paper and allow them to draw to their heart’s content, for example, and it will be easy for the next child to join in.
When Joe draws elaborate landscapes and Katie draws pictures of cars and houses, the youngest child can scribble. When Joe builds castles out of blocks and Katie builds towers, the youngest child can stack them. These are the kinds of toys they can all enjoy – and, to be honest, I quite often enjoy them, too.
Here’s the real key of all of this: if you’re thinking of having future children, keep the stuff you actually used. Put it in some storage boxes and stick it somewhere out of sight, clearly labeled. Similarly, focus your child-related purchases on sturdy things that will last through multiple children – plastic toys that easily break aren’t a good buy, but sturdy blocks are. Doing this alone will save you a lot of cash on future children without reducing their quality of life one bit.
Continue reading The Costs of Preparing for Additional Children …
From The Simple Dollar.
Sending Christmas cards on a budget
One of my tasks during Thanksgiving weekend is to get the Christmas cards prepped and ready to go.
This isn’t “too early.” Thanksgiving weekend is when I have to do them. The daughter is in college and this is one of the tasks that needs to be done when she is home. It is our custom to have each card personally signed by each family member – and while I might not be able to arrange that for birthday or sympathy cards when the daughter is away, we can still do it for Christmas cards.
If you consider the task of sending Christmas cards in the mail to be too expensive or too time consuming, this post isn’t for you. I’m writing to those who want to maintain the custom with a minimum amount of money and fuss. It can be done on a budget.
Some tips:
- Look for cards on sale prices. A popular trick is buying cards on clearance prices at the end of the season. But I usually find good sales and selection in late November. I spent $10 this year – and we are sending out about 80 cards. One of my friends suggested looking for bulk cards on eBay – but she said to make sure you are searching for new cards, rather than used cards meant for craft projects. If you create your own cards, then watch the supply cost and get the blank cards on sale, coupon or rebate.
- Don’t get picky about return address labels. You can buy specialty address labels, and I’ve had them in the past. These days I use the free address labels that charity fundraisers send me as a thank you – or as an appeal in hopes of getting some cash. There usually are enough winter or generic scenes in those sticker sheets to get through a stack of Christmas cards.
- Don’t get fancy with the Christmas letter paper and ink. If you are on a budget, skip the expensive stationary and color ink and use plain white paper with black ink. You can dress up the letter with pretty fonts if you like.
- Don’t get too long with your Christmas letter. Many holiday experts say one page is sufficient. There have been a couple of years when I’ve done a half page. Remember that the longer that letter gets, the more paper you will use. Pick a couple of interesting things to talk about from the past year, remind everyone how old the kids are, and that’s all you really need to do with this detail.
- Research the price options if you want to send photo cards. The prices on photo cards and photo frame cards can get outrageous. If you are using your own picture, it may be cheaper to order a stack of photo reprints in the standard 4 by 6 size and include the photo as an insert in a traditional greeting card. If you are using a professional picture, ask the studio about bundle packages for wallet-sized prints or greeting card prints.
- Keep a close watch on your list of names and addresses. People do come and go out of your life. It is acceptable to drop people from the card list for that reason. And check the return address on every card sent to you to make sure you have the correct address on file. A bad address means a wasted stamp.
- Hand delivery is an option. People do like to get “real” mail in the mailbox instead of bills and junk mail. But maybe you can hand deliver 10 to 12 cards out of your stack. You then saved about $5 in postage.
Continue reading Sending Christmas cards on a budget …
From Monroe on a Budget.
Black Friday shopping etiquette
A couple of weeks ago, the Mall of Monroe hosted more than 2,000 people for a meet-and-greet with movie star Peter Facinelli of “Twilight” fame.
One of the things I noticed most about of that day was not just the size of the crowd – but the fact it was a cheerful and well-behaved crowd. That’s despite the fact that more than twice as many people showed up as the mall officials expected. (Here’s the photo gallery at monroenews.com.)
If you were in that celebrity meet-and-greet line, or heard about it, keep those good manners in mind when you go back to the mall and the other local retail stores on Black Friday.
BlackFriday.com has this piece: Shopping Etiquette – How to be Polite and Still Get a Good Deal on Black Friday.
A snippet:
Take only what you need. Many people grab up all of one item in the hopes to eBay it for more money. Remember that others are here trying to provide Christmas for their families and only take the number of the item you actually plan on giving to other people.
Seriously, people. This is not the year to hog the presents. A lot of families in southeast Michigan are on a budget right now – and not all of them qualify for the charity baskets or programs. Let everyone have a little Christmas.
Continue reading Black Friday shopping etiquette …
From Monroe on a Budget.
My Overdue MyPoints Review
Three to four times a year I receive a $10 gift card from MyPoints. We got one a few weeks ago for Pizza Hut, my favorite restaurant. Tomorrow is our four year wedding anniversary, but Dan will be in class, so we are going out for our romantic anniversary dinner, with the kids of course, tonight, paid for in part by MyPoints.
What I love about MyPoints is that it is something set aside for me. When I earn enough for a gift card, I usually pick out a store that I love and buy something I want for me. I usually get a gift card to TJMaxx for clothes. We chose to use it for our anniversary this year because our budget is a little tighter than usual. The other option, going out to eat courtesy of mystery shopping where you come home and consult your husband on the cleanliness of the men’s room while devoting yourself to writing an essay style report, is not as romantic. Some may not consider Pizza Hut with the kids romantic either, but to each his own.
How Do I Earn Points from MyPoints?
Reading Email
They send you an email with a link you have to click on for 5 points or roughly $0.035. It takes between ten and fifteen seconds per email, depending on how awake my computer is.
Surveys
They send surveys via email. You get 50 points, or $0.35, for completing the survey, which takes about ten minutes. Or, you get 10 points, $0.07, if you try to complete the survey but don’t qualify. One of the first questions asks if you or anyone in your household works in “Marketing or Market Research.” Well, I still do occasional mystery shopping, so I honestly answer that I do work in that field, and I disqualify myself for the survey. I get the 10 points and move on with my life in under a minute.
Shopping
They give you a percentage back on online purchases made through shopping from their site. I shop on ebay fairly often, so I travel to ebay through their site and get something like 2 points for every dollar I spend.
Easy Points
About once a month, I go to their website and check out their “Easy Points” section. They ask me if I am looking for a contractor to work on my home, or if I want to save money on my groceries with coupons. I click that I don’t, so they offer me another point earning opportunity if I click on a link. Just by clicking to see what they’re offering, I get 5 points, or $0.035.
How Do I Not Earn Points?
Offers
They have a lot of offers that you can do for extra points. You can make more money doing offers other ways, if you’re interested. A few years back, I did that with GetPaidTo.com, which has no minimum payout, meaning if you earn today, you can cash out today. Doing offers is the whole idea behind Project Payday. You have to keep a close record if you want to make money from offers, as you could end up losing money.
Online Games
Their online games are online gambling with your own money. You get a piece of the money you lose back in points. That’s not a good “earning” strategy in my mind.
Referrals
The only person I ever referred was my husband, and he never earned any points. We had the deal that if he earned points, he could spend his gift cards recreationally, just like I usually do, but he never did anything with his account.
But Emily, you have this blog with all of these people visiting, surely you could refer your readers! You’d think so, but I can’t. I’m not an affiliate; although I tried to become one, my application was rejected. So, I can only refer people I actually know via individual email invites. This is kind of a sour point between myself and MyPoints, but as long as they continue to send me gift cards, I’ll still like them deep down, and I’ll even write some nice things about them on my blog.
Continue reading My Overdue MyPoints Review …
From Under $1000 Per Month.