Halloween And Vacation

Halloween, my favorite holiday, is just two days away. And with family coming in town I will once again be on a small va. K. ;-)

Samples Again!

Awesome new samples, coupons and makeup bag from Target.com! Just go to www.target.com and search "free samples" for new products to try.

My sister-in-law has another great sample suggestion. Go to www.allyou.com and sign up to receive their daily sample email. Who doesn't love free samples in the mail everyday? Better yet, sign up your mom, your friend or your wife and send her a surprise. She'll love it, no matter what the product, she'll love that you thought of her. K.

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How To: Hurricane Hangers

After Hurricane Irene we had quite a few tree branches that fell down in the neighborhood, so the craft wheels started to turn. :-) So I chose to make hangers for a friend that was coming to visit. Lets get started!

Supplies:
- Power drill and small drill bit
- Branches (About 12 inches longer than the length of a standard coat hanger and about 1in thick)
- Wire (A heavy bailing wire that comes in a coil at home improvement stores)
- Needle nose pliers, two pairs
- Wire cutters (These should be built into the pliers tho)
- Hand saw
- String, ribbon or any other decoration you prefer

Let's get started!
Step 1: Pick out your branches.

Step 2: Clean up the branches. Cut off any tiny branches, leaves or pine cones.

Step 3: Use your hand saw to cut off the ends of the branches. The length should be about 12 to 14 in.

Step 4: Find the center of the branch, along the width, and drill a small hole all the way through the branch.

Step 5: Cut a piece of wire between 1 and 2 feet long. The length of the wire depends on how much experience you have with wire bending. If this is your first time crafting with wire you'll want a longer piece. Remember: You can always cut off the extra.

Step 6: Thread the wire through the hole in the branch and bend as desired. I used a refill for a caulking gun to get the round shape of the top of the hanger and made a small swirl shape to secure it on the bottom.

For one of the hangers I personalized this gift with initials but you can leave them blank or make a heart or star. I also used a piece of yarn to tie a bow around the wire. This made the hangers more feminine and I thought they were a nice touch for a friend who loves to crochet.

Good luck with your crafting and send me some pictures of your artwork for this digital fridge of mine. K.

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Free Samples In The Mail!

Received this free travel size sample of Dial NutriSkin Replenishing Lotion in the mail today. Check out www.walmart.com and search for "free samples" for more information on the samples you can have mailed to your own door. K.

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Phone Blogging

I'm testing out the Android options on the app they have for blogging. I'm also testing how they let me upload pictures from my phone. This is the Roanoke branch of the NC Aquariums, fun time. Let me know if you have any issues, I'd love to help. K.

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Vacation October 2011

The upcoming posts for October will soon be on their way! I had a great vacation this past week! Where are you planning on vacationing in the upcoming months? What states will you travel to for the holidays? Leave some comments. K.

Tip Of The Day 10-06-2011

If you find a drop cookie recipe that you like, stick with it. Just change up the special ingredients once and a while for some fun. If the recipe calls for 2 cups of chocolate chips you can use 1 cup chocolate and 1 cup peanut butter chips instead. Or even 1 cup of white chocolate chips and 1 cup oatmeal or coconut. Come on. Live on the edge. K.

October Savings Series: Part 1

Part one of the October savings series is one of my favorite money saving rants. :-) The pros and con's of Super Stores versus Membership Stores. The main focus of this post will be exactly how much money you can save on baby products. However, baby products are not the only items you can save on, they are just examples of which I can give the most accurate information.

Disclaimer: If you shop at a convinence or grocery store for these items and switch to a Membership Store your savings will be even greater than I mention.

Disclaimer: These numbers are for one child. If you have two children you can multiply everything by two, which means twice the savings! And so on for the number of children you have in your family.

DIAPERS

Avg amount of money spent on Super Store Diapers in one year = $1040
Avg amount of money spent on Membership Store Diapers in one year = $456
Money SAVED = $584! You're only paying 43% of the Super Store cost!

FORMULA

Avg amount of money spent on Super Store Formula in one year = $1300
Avg amount of money spent on Membership Store Formula in one year = $342

Money SAVED = $958! You're only paying 26% of the Super Store cost!

Don't forget to subtract the amount of the yearly membership = Just $40

Total Yearly SAVINGS = $1502!

Like I mentioned these savings are only for one child and only on two items sold in Membership Stores. If you start adding in the savings on additional children and the savings on other items you could end up with as much as $800 saved per person annually.

A family of four (two adults and two small children) will save over $4700 a year! That's awesome! That's a used car! If a Super Store advertised that after one year of shopping there you could get a used car, no questions asked, everyone would shop there! With our savings we bought a new flat screen TV and still saved over to a $1000! That's one year at a Community College! That's a brand new wooden swingset for the kids! That's enough for a condo on the beach for vacation! That's FIVE pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes! That's an amazng donation for a non-profit organization like http://www.semperfifund.com/!

I know that there is a new extreme view of coupoining and people feel like saving money takes alot of work. However, this is a method of saving that takes the same exact amount of work that you're already exerting. At some Membership Stores you can even order items online and pick them up in the store, including grocery items. This method helps prevent impulse shopping.

These Membership Stores sell most items in bulk but that doesn't mean that a small household can't shop there. You can purchase things like chips one bag at a time and milk one gallon at a time. They sell alot of nonperishable items that you can stock up on; paper towels, toilet paper, boxed and canned foods, pet foods. They also have pet supplies, books, dvds, eletronics, furniture, clothing and shoes, patio furniture, outdoor grills, office supplies, childrens toys, books and clothes... I could go on forever, but don't worry, I won't.

So instead of asking you if you're convinced yet, I want to know... Are you still spending thousands more than you need to each year? I'm not. I want to own those FIVE pairs of designer shoes! K.

Tip Of The Day 10-03-2011

Go outside! Turn off the technology, turn on the conversation. No matter the age of your children, if you don't have children in the home or you don't have children at all. With all of the problems that accompany technology (cyber bullying being the main problem on my mind today) we could all use a little time away from the laptops and cell phones and a little more time with the "world wide world." (I love those new Jeep commercials). While you're out there you could pick up sticks in the yard, or pine cones if you live in my town :-) You can take a walk, meet those new neighbors, play a game of football or Frisbee. Say you don't have a large yard? Or you live in an apartment and don't have a yard to clean? Walk to a nearby museum or river or park. Talk about the things you see on the way or how the last week has left you feeling. It doesn't matter what you do, it only matters how you do it. Talk some talk. Walk some walk. K.