Tax Preparation

I would say that for many, tax preparation is a daunting task. Many people that I know use tax preparers to help them with their tax returns and that is fine for them.

For me, I always remember my dad doing our taxes. When I got older, he would help me do my taxes. To me, this is just the way it was, you did your own taxes.

So, when I grew up, I just assumed that I would do my own taxes and I did. Problem was, as I got older, it seemed that my returns got harder too.

A few years ago, I started using tax preparation software, instead of doing them on paper. I think the first year, we had a try me free or for $5 or $10 through one of my husband's magazine subscriptions - so it was a great way to check it out with minimal risk. That year, I remember doing my return on paper first and then doing it online. I wanted to see how it worked, and since I'm me, make sure it was right. I was surprised both at how easy it was and how complete it was. They ask questions, allow you to select forms from lists, and have 'tips' throughout, all to help you along. (If you want, many even offer, for an added fee, some other services too.) The way that the program steps you through the taxes makes self-preparation that much easier.

I've now migrated to the online version (I use H&R Block, personally - but there are others out there). I love that by doing my taxes on the computer, I can e-file for free (included in the price of the software/access). This means that with direct deposit my refund gets to me within just a couple of weeks.

I actually am fortunate too that I don't have to pay for the state portion of the return on the program, because Ohio allows you to do your taxes online for free through their iFile program. Again, easy-peasy. Answer a few questions, enter a few numbers from your W2/1099s and your Federal Taxes and they put the numbers where they belong. Again, if you are due a refund, with direct deposit, you receive it within a few weeks.

This year, my local taxes started offering online preparation through their site. I tried to complete them, but learned that even though I owed overall, because I had overpaid on one of our work city estimates I was not able to file online. So, back to paper it was. I found it amusing that their software couldn't handle a refund or even making a credit to another portion of the form like next year's estimates.

Doing my own taxes with the help of my computer, works for me. This post shared at Frugal Friday.

Clothes - Making Them Last or Enhancing Their Style

I always heard that boys were rough on clothes. What I didn't consider is that girls are equally rough.

My daughter loves to run and play, and I love for her to run and play. Problem is, she always seems to find a way to fall down. The result is a skinned knee, a tear in her pants, mud/snow/water all over her clothes, and in one unfortunate event a baby tooth that had to have the kid's version of a root canal and is now known as 'my gray tooth'. She even has a knack of being able to cut her clothing with her scissors while doing art projects.

She has a definite style sense, all her own. I affectionately refer to her as 'my Rainbow Brite' on many a morning, when she comes down wearing a multitude of colors and patterns. Despite her affinity for diverse patterns, she simply can not wear clothes that have a tear or a stain. So, when, as it frequently occurs, she manages to make a mess of a new pair of tights, pants, shirt, or other, the article of clothing is typically toast. It will be passed over or placed back in her laundry. As a mom, it is rather frustrating to see that new article be worn but once or twice.

In the past, some of these holes have been small and I have been able to apply a sneaky patch or whip a few threads through it and all is well. But, that is not always the case.

When she managed to get holes in the knee in two pairs of pants within a week, I knew I had to find a solution. I simply can not go out and buy new clothes every week. I decided that I would embellish the pants that she has holes in. When I left home to look for the perfect patch, I had visions simply of a colorful, shaped patch. I was thinking a star or a heart. Unfortunately, at the store, I didn't see these - I simply saw standard, rectangles of patches like I had used in the past. I knew that I could cut a shape, but that wasn't what I was after. I was after 'fancy'.

So, I kept wandering and luckily, I did, because just a few short steps away, I came upon exactly what I was looking for. Decorative patches. We chose cupcakes for this first project. The close second was butterflies.

To mend her pants, I used a small patch on the inside. This might have been unnecessary, but I wasn't sure how well the decorative patch would do at mending. Then, in order to up the style and not make it look like it was just a repair patch, I stacked two patches - one big, one small - over the hole and set them with the iron.

To complete the embellished looked, I also added another small patch on the pocket.

I was planning to put it on the back pocket, but their were no back pockets on the pants.

The end result:

I am happy to say that not only was she excited to wear them the day that I patched them, but the embellished pants are now often requested by name. In fact, she recently asked if I had any more of those cupcakes and could I put them on some of her other pants.

I feel that I have succeeded. For a couple of dollars, I not only rescued a perfect other than a hole in the knee pair of pants from never being worn, but I turned them into fashion!

This post shared at Frugal Friday.

Harry Potter Birthday Party

Most years we keep the kids birthdays simple at our house. We have a big family-style gathering at our house. For my son, who was lucky enough to be born in the summer, typically it means grilling out and the slip'n slide. For my daughter, with a fall birthday, it is generally a roasted turkey and the all the tastes of Thanksgiving. We invite our family and then we invite friends and their families. There is usually at least a few kids close to their age that are there to celebrate. Occasionally, we will plan an all kids party - but certainly not every year (that can really add up!)

Even though our birthday parties are more family focused, doesn't mean that we don't go all out on the theme. The kids select a theme, together my husband and I come up with a plan for the invitations and he puts his creativity and computer skills behind creating the themed invitation. I pick up cake plates and napkins that fit the theme. Sometimes, this means bright colors (for the Wiggles) and other times, it means plates and napkins printed with the theme. I usually try to find a giveaway for the kids in attendance in the theme of the party. This has varied from books (Curious George's Birthday for the Monkey Theme) to Princess Dress Up Clothes (for our Princess Theme). At last, but certainly not least, I come up with a plan for a themed birthday cake and make it. You can see some past examples (like Space, Star Wars, Phineas and Ferb and Princess) here.

This year, my son chose Harry Potter. This was my biggest challenge to date. You see, not only have I not read the books, but I haven't seen any of the movies either. In fact, you may remember my asking for help with cake ideas.

For our invitation, my husband put together a letter of acceptance to the guest to be part of the Hogwart's School. We had to go online, but we found a great deal on plates and napkins from Birthday Direct. Since shipping was flat rate, we also added on some reusable cups that we could fill with candy as a gift to the kids in attendance. Then, came the cake. After some searching, I decided that the way to do it was to make a book cake and decorate it with magical things.

I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. I simply used a Wilton Cake pan in the shape of a book, which my mom happened to have from when I was a little girl (saved me $$ on buying a pan). I frosted the cake with a basic butter cream frosting that I made. A little dyed butter cream served for the words and the edging on the cake. Then, I made up a batch of Marshmallow Fondant and using different dyes, created the decorations for the book. To give the bag some form, I filled it with mini-marshmallows. The colors for the scarf were a little difficult. I think I kept tweaking the maroon for a good 15 minutes before it looked right. The glasses were by far the hardest things to make. My son definitely liked his Harry Potter cake (as did one of my friends at work who is a HUGE Harry Potter fan). I had a lot of fun making the cake and saved a good amount over what a bakery cake would have cost.

This post shared at Frugal Friday.

Homemade Bread Crumbs

I don't know how it is at your house, but most of the time, I found myself throwing away the heels of my bread. Now, the funny thing is, on a nice crispy crust, chewy center type loaf the ends of the bread are my favorite, so there is something unusual in this fact to me. In addition, it seemed that every time that we had a "special" loaf of bread, invariably there was a piece or two that went uneaten and were ultimately thrown out.

Then, one day, I had a light bulb go off in my head. (feels like it should be on not off, but anyway). I started to save those heels and those extra pieces of bread in a bread bag in the freezer. Once I had a bag full of bread ends and pieces, I placed them on a stone and put them in my oven at 275 for about an hour. This time in a warm oven allowed them to first thaw and then dry out and some even got a little toasted.

Then, working in small batches, I broke apart the bread and place it into my food processor. A few quick whirls and voila! - Bread Crumbs.

I store them in the freezer, just to make sure that they keep and are fresh.

Now, not only am I not throwing out bread, but I'm not spending money buying bread crumbs and I have fresh bread crumbs for all of my favorite recipes that use bread crumbs. That works for me!


This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday, What I Whipped Up Wednesday and Frugal Friday.

Real Utensils Instead of Plastic

I have previously shared how my family made the move to cloth napkins for everyday use. My husband was skeptical when I first implemented this idea, but over a year later, it is still working well for us.

Then, late last year, I made the move to using dishes for parties and gatherings, instead of paper plates. This has been working out really well for us. Now that we are in picnic season, I have been pulling out the plastic plates from our cupboards for the kids to use - I just feel that they are even more drop proof.

Plastic ware had some challenges for me. We always seemed to use the plastic ware at different rates. I generally would purchase the bulk packs at the warehouse club to get the best value on plastic utensils, but with the uneven use, I found myself having to pay more to get a box with a single type of utensil. As a result, it seemed that before every party, there was always the question of do we need to run out and pick some up - will we run out part way through the weekend, or do we have enough. I was always worried (just because I am me) when I had to pick up something new and the plastic ware didn't match.

(my party silverware in my organizer basket for party use)
Well, a few months ago, I finally made the move to real utensils for parties and gatherings. I was able to get 36 place settings of forks, spoons and knives at Sam's Club for under $30. To help keep it together for storage, I picked up a stacked organizer at Target for under $10 (I don't remember exactly how much).

I can't calculate (well, I actually probably could - but won't) how much we have/will save by not purchasing plastic for all of our events, but I know that in the long run, it will be a net cost savings and it certainly has simplified life around parties and gatherings.

That Works for Me.

This post shared at Frugal Friday.

Turkey Deals!!!

Okay, so many, many months ago, I won a year's supply of Jennie-O Turkey. What a wonderful prize. They sent me a bunch of coupons for Jennie-O Turkey. It was a great prize and allowed us to save quite a bit on our grocery bill. At the time there were a few stores in the area that carried different items, but then slowly it became harder and harder to find the product locally. A few weeks ago, when I was at the grocery store, I stopped by the meat department and asked the manager about ordering it. He checked to see what his vendor could offer him, even though his store didn't carry it standard. There weren't many options, mostly just variations on a theme, ground turkey and turkey sausage.

I placed an order for a case of 93/7 Lean Ground Turkey and 90/10 Lean Sausage Links yesterday. When I called, he told me he would order it on Monday and it would be in about a week later. I thought that would be perfect - just enough time to eat some of the stuff in the freezer and make room for the 28 packages of turkey I had ordered.

Imagine my surprise when I got a call from the store today, telling me the turkey I had ordered was in. I went this evening to pick it up and my freezers are both officially stuffed to the gills!

16 - 20 oz 93/7 Lean Ground Turkey
12 - 90/10 Lean Sausage Links

-$84 "Free" $3 off Jennie-O Turkey coupons

Total $1.72 OOP.

Works for me, about 6 cents a pack.

Since it has been a few months since I could buy the product locally, I have a good number of coupons left. We will be eating a lot of turkey! My original plan had us using it 3 - 4 days a week (including lunches, because I could get Jennie-O deli meat), but with the months of no usage, in order to use up the coupons before expiration, it will need to be more like 5 - 6 days a week.

Anyone have any suggestions on preparations to try with ground turkey?

Do you make "hamburger" patties and freeze them? Do you season them? Do you lay them on a cookie sheet to freeze individually before packing them up? How long do you/can you keep homemade patties in your freezer?

The uses that are familiar and part of our standard dining plan:
I figure I will make up a few types of chili. I can do Spaghetti and Meatballs, and assorted other pasta type dishes. I can do tacos. I can do Sloppy Joes. I can do Sheppard's Pie. I might do some Cheeseburger Pasta, Cheeseburger Rice and/or Cheeseburger Pizza. I can make Nacho Mac'n Cheese.

I'm thinking I might try to find a Swedish Meatball recipe. Isn't Salisbury Steak made with ground meat? I just know that we need to keep it mixed up, so as not to get tired.

Have any other recipes that use ground meat?

The sausage links I figure that I can use for breakfast for dinner, actual breakfast, Sunday brunch and maybe even on a regular pizza.

This post shared at Frugal Friday and Super Savings Saturday.

Reusable Lunch Bags

I pack my lunch almost everyday, except when I have a lunch meeting. I find that I can generally pack a healthier lunch than I can purchase. Even when I go out some place that has a salad bar and feel like I am generally eating a good lunch, I find myself adding things to my salad plate that quickly add up - cheese, croutons, bacon, crackers, macaroni salad, etc. I tend to use more salad dressing when I get the salad bar than when I pack a salad with dressing in separate container. Also, when it comes to estimating how much I ate, in order to calculate the PointsPlus values of the food, I find that I have a hard time. Was it 4 oz of chicken that I added - or a little more/less? If I eat out too often, you can see it reflected in my success (or lack there of) for the week.

So, as I said, packing my lunch lets me be in control of what I am eating. I can measure out my servings and calculate the PointsPlus values before I consume them. When I eat out, usually I wind up calculating the values after I eat rather thhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifan before. The exception is if I am going out to dinner somewhere where I know what I order and can 'budget' for the trip ahead of time.

When it comes to packing my lunch, I used to Brown Bag-it. I would typically reuse the same bag for days or weeks, as long as it lasted. I would fill it with a mix of plastic containers and plastic bags. The plastic bags and eventually, the browhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifn bags too, would get thrown away. Not only did this feel wasteful, but it also got to be expensive.

Finally, one day, I bought myself a reusable lunch bag. It is lightly insulated, which helps to keep my lunch cool until I get it into the refrigerator at work. Then, a couple of years ago, I found a solution for replacing my plastic bags http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif(at least many of them), I tried a reusable sandwich bag. I only have two, but I generally use one for my sandwich and one for vegetables (or sometimes a cookie or chips!). I was thinking about getting more. I saw this deal today for Re-Pac Bags and decided the time was right to get a couple more bags. Their style is different, using zippers instead of velcro. I liked that I could get a $24 voucher for only $12 through Mamapedia Sweet Deals. (if you are a first time Mamapedia Sweet Deals buyer, you can use coupon code FRIENDS2 to save $2 on this deal as well)

Using a reusable lunch bag and reusable lunch bags, is environmentally friendly and a way to save money. This post shared at Frugal Friday.

No compensation was received for this post. I am a Weight Watchers Insider and have received free access to their online tools.

Hoover SteamVac

A few years ago, we made a decision that we would purchase a steam cleaner. We had two young kids and a cat, so it seemed like a reasonable investment to us. We did our standard Consumer Reports and online research before heading to the store. In the end, we selected the Hoover SteamVac TurboPower 5200. (sounds cool doesn't it!)

When we first bought it, we cleaned the whole house over the course of a weekend. Since that time, we have used it a few times each year. It has worked well for us and saved us money over having to hire someone to come in and clean our carpets. Being able to clean our own carpets has also been more convenient. We don't have to coordinate for someone to be home for the carpet cleaners to come and we have the option to clean one room or many. We also can use it to "spot" clean if a mess is made (although, since it's easiest to measure the solution when you fill the tank, we tend to do the room, not just a spot).

Two weeks ago, when I went down to the basement to get some wrapping paper for the present we were giving to my niece at her birthday party that day and found the basement flooding, our Hoover SteamVac came in very handy and according to the guys from the service company that came to dry out the basement, likely helped us save the carpeting and the walls from damage that would require replacement or repair. You see, shortly after making the call to the plumber, to address the sump pump that wasn't working, we decided that we could use our steam cleaner to extract water from our carpets. It was amazing how quickly the tank on the SteamVac would be filled with water. We started by dumping the tank and then decided using a bucket would allow us to empty the tank multiple times before making a trip to dump the water. We worked at drying our basement one bucket full at a time. We made countless trips up and down the stairs to dump that water in the utility sink in our laundry room. (I'll admit it, we continued to bring it upstairs even after the sump pump was functioning...until we suddenly came to realize that we could just dump it in the now working sump.) After a few hours, we decided that we weren't going to win the battle on our own. We called our insurance company and then a couple of groups that specialize in cleaning up flooded basements. There was a lot of flooding in Ohio and we were told that they weren't sure how long it would take for a team to come to our house. So, we continued to extract water until the service group arrived to take care of the water. We were a little afraid not to, we were pretty certain that no new water was coming in, but we still found that when we weren't working on an area, the carpet would get progressively wetter as the water wicked its way up from the pad.

When the service team arrived, they used their own heavy duty extraction equipment and then, they pulled back the carpeting and placed fans between the carpeting and the pad to dry the carpet and the padding. They also placed a couple of dehumidifiers in the basement. When the left, the sound in the basement was crazy. There were something like 6 fans and 2 dehumidifiers running. When we were upstairs in our bedroom, it was sort of a white noise, but on the main floor it was loud. Within a few days, they were able to remove all of the fans and dehumidifiers returning a few days later to restretch and secure the carpeting.

We learned, after the fact, that all of the effort that we put in not only helped us save the basement from further damage, but we got a bit of sweat equity applied to our deductible for our insurance which saved us money on the claim too!

Happily, our basement is back in order and we lost nothing more than the box for my bread maker and a couple of rugs that we had set out to form a walkway to our deep freeze (for those times when I go to the basement in socks or bare feet).

I know that I am glad that we made that investment a few years ago in the Hoover SteamVac and used it to help us try to dry out our basement. It might not be the intended use, but it worked for me! This post shared at Frugal Friday.

I received no compensation for this post (however, if Hoover wants to give us a new steam cleaner to replace the one that we "abused" by using it try to dry out the basement, I would be fine with that!).

Paper Plates No More

Lately, I've been trying to be both a little more green and save some money. A while back, we made the move to cloth napkins. This has been going very well for us. We still use paper napkins on occasion at dinner or lunch, but generally, we are using the cloth napkins. My husband was uncertain that it would work, but with nearly daily laundry, we rarely are without napkins in our napkin basket.

After my son's birthday party, I identified another opportunity to save money and be a little more green. Paper Plates. (Although, really, most of them are other materials, I just still think of them as paper plates.) Purchasing disposable plates was an infrequent expense since we bought larger packages of plates, but a still something that we used regularly enough for the assorted picnics, parties and more.

I will not question that using a paper plate is simple and easy. But, when I think about the number of plates that we purchase, use and dispose of, it really can start to add up. Here are some of what I saw as the pros and cons:

Pros
Save money over time
Easier to store
Better for the environment
Always have on hand, don’t have to remember to buy before the next picnic/party/gathering
More durable/less flimsy when serving heavy or wet foods

Cons
Initial outlay to purchase reusable plates
Have to wash (but I have a dishwasher)
May not have enough if the crowd is large
Have to replace any that are broken

I struggled to find what I was looking for. I knew that I wanted something that was reasonably lightweight, making them easier to use and store, and something that was durable.

At first, I thought that I would try to go with plastic or melamine for the plates. The problem I was finding is that they were all expensive. One of my goals was to save money by moving to reusable plates that I could use for feeding a crowd, spending the type of money that I would have to to buy these was not going to be a savings. I decided to keep looking and hope for a clearance sale.

While visiting my brother's house after a family wedding, I noticed that he was using some of my old Corelle bowls that I had given him when he graduated college and I was getting married. The bowls had been part of a set and I remembered how the plates were durable and reasonably thin and lightweight.

Then, after my Kraft Homestyle House Party back in September, I found myself with some coupons for the Pyrex store, which also carries Corelle dishes. We have a store at the local outlet mall, so I made a trip to the store. They had stacks of plain beige on clearance. It turns out that it was a color they were discontinuing - who discontinues beige? I had about five coupons that were each good for one item, so I walked up to the register to ask if I could use all of the coupons in one transaction or if I had to break it up. She said that she could use them all in one transaction. The clearance stickers on them were all different prices, but she charged me at the lowest price for all of them. When she rang up the coupon, she wound up taking the discount on not just five items, but all of my plates. I purchased 24 plates and 4 bowls (the bowls are for everyday use - they are the perfect size for oatmeal and ice cream) for just under $40, plus tax.

Understandably, it will take me a few picnics and parties to recoup my cost, but every time we use them, we are throwing away that many fewer plates. After a few events, we will start to save money. Plus, since we frequently have a weekend full of guests when we do have a party, they will get multiple uses on a single weekend.

Do I think I am completely done with disposable plates? No. I still think that I will purchase cake plates to coincide with the themes at our birthday parties. But, overall, I will purchase and use a lot less paper plates. I also think that I will try to pick up a few more plates over time. I just didn't want to spend anymore than I did and 24 should be enough to get me through most events that we have. Plus, I still have my everyday dishes if I need a couple more.

My next goal in an effort to live green and save money - find silverware for using at the picnics and parties. I got the idea from a friend who has a large tin full of silverware that she uses exclusively for gatherings. It would be nice not to have to worry about purchasing all of that plastic cutlery. So far, what I have found is a little more expensive than I want. Part of my challenge is that I pretty much just want the components of a three piece set, but I need service for 24.

This post shared at Frugal Friday.

Princess Party

I'm clearly a few months behind in some of my planned posts. Back in November, we celebrated my daughter's fourth birthday. This year, her request for a theme was to have a Princess Party. I thought that this sounded like a wonderful theme. For during the party entertainment, I picked up some dresses and tutus, as well as some Prince crowns and capes from MyPrincessPartytoGo.com. I figured the kids could dress up during the party and then have an outfit to take home with them after the party. The cake was not a hard decision for me, I always thought it would be fun to make one of those princess doll cakes, and that is what I set out to do.

I had a vision in my head of what the cake would look like. I was a little uncertain on exactly how I would decorate the cake. I finally decided that fondant would be a great way to get a flowy looking ball gown for the princess cake.

I was able to find a ballerina Barbie doll, that had a bodice that was painted on. I figured that not having to make a top would make decorating the cake easier. Fortunately, there was one available in purple - my daughter's favorite color and the planned color for our Princess Doll Cake.

I started by making two cake mixes. I made one mix in an oven proof glass bowl and the other one in two 9" round cake pans. Because I prefer to offer both chocolate and white (or yellow) cake, I made one of each. After baking the cakes and allowing them to cool. I used a small glass to cut a round hole in the middle of each of the layers - this would be where I could place the doll when I was done decorating. Then, using a thin layer of frosting (I make a homemade butter cream), I stacked the cakes. Then, I frosted the cake with a thin layer of frosting. I took my marshmallow fondant from the refrigerator and kneaded in purple frosting color. (It's a bit of an arm workout to knead it in to refrigerated fondant and get an even color). I rolled it into a rectangle of sorts.

I removed the skirt from the ballerina and wrapped her lower body in plastic wrap, to keep her from getting covered in frosting. I dropped a spoonful of frosting into the bottom of the hole in the center of the cake, to hold the doll up. Then, I lifted my fondant and draped it around the cake. To finish the edges, I piped some purple frosting along the top edge and then, to accent the dress, created a bunch of small purple flowers on her dress.

Here was the result:

When my daughter saw her cake for the first time, her eyes just lit up. It was wonderful.

I enjoy making cakes for my kids - the best part is seeing their reaction when they see the cake.

You can see the cakes that I have made over the years here:

Blue's Clues
Airplane
Cars - Lightnin' McQueen cake
Space - Solar System cake
Elephants
Wiggles - Big Red Car cake
Abby Caddaby - Princess Wand cake
Star Wars - Dueling Light Sabers cake
Phineas & Ferb

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday and the Ultimate Recipe Swap Birthday Cake Roundup.

DIY - Gingerbread House

Last year, we got a Gingerbread House Kit as a gift in a gift exchange. It was the first time that we had decorated a Gingerbread House. The kids really enjoyed decorating it and enjoyed eating it. Unfortunately, to me, the Gingerbread was dry and too crisp.

Wanting to recreate the experience in a more edible fashion this year, I undertook a new adventure. I made my own!

I started with a boxed kit for Gingerbread. I followed the recipe for making the cut-out cookies on the box. I rolled out the dough and cut the sides and roof pieces at 4" x 6". Then, I cut two ends. I'm sure there is a fanciful mathematical name for the figure I cut, but it is not coming to me right now - it was a rectangle with a triangle on top. I cut the sides at 4" and the angles of the triangle at 4". The base was about 5", that was what it worked out to be.

I placed them on the cookie sheet and baked. I had extra dough, so I made a few Gingerbread Men to go with the house. I also cut out two rectangles for doors and a circle for a window.

After baking them and cooling them, I used a tub of frosting and assembled my house. I started by placing some frosting on the pan I was using to hold the bottom of the walls. I built the four sides first and let them sit for a while before adding my roof. I "mortared" the corners on the inside to make them stronger. I added the roof pieces and let the Gingerbread House rest overnight uncovered so that the frosting could dry.
Then, today, I pulled out the candy that I had gotten near free on recent deals at the drugstores and gave them to the kids with some more frosting. The kids decorated the house and had a great time. They thought it was cool that they also had Gingerbread Men to decorate and eat as well.
We each had a decorated Gingerbread Man for a dessert this evening and they were good - not like the kit last year, they were so flavorful and not dry or overly crisp.

Those kits like we made last year, seem to retail around $10. By making our Gingerbread House on our own, we were able to have a better experience (there were Gingerbread Men! and they were more edible in my opinion) and at less of a cost (a couple of bucks for the mix and frosting and near free candy for accents).

This post shared at Frugal Friday.

The Versatile Canned Tomato

I have always loved tomatoes. My parents have always had a garden and I can remember eating lots of fresh tomatoes. We would have them sliced as a side dish, we would feature them on BLT sandwiches, we would have them on our Hamburgers, and more. Still today, one of my favorite sandwiches is a fresh from the garden, sliced tomato layered between two pieces of toast with a bit of mayo and a dash of salt (I guess you could say my BLT lost it's B&L). There is something so satisfying about that sandwich to me.

My husband is Italian. He eats a lot of tomato based products - ketchup (not Italian food, but one of his favorite condiments) and of course, Spaghetti Sauce (gravy if you ask him, but if you ask me gravy is brown).

With both of us liking tomatoes and tomato products, it was inevitable that tomatoes would be a part of many meals. In fact, over time, canned tomatoes have become a staple in my house. At any given time, you can find in my pantry many forms of canned tomatoes - diced tomatoes (prefer petite diced), canned whole tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and probably more varieties. When there are sales and the occasional coupon, I stock up.

I had never really thought about how versatile a can of tomatoes can be nor how it can help stretch a recipe on a budget, but with a lot of experimentation to enhance flavor and with some recipes that I found and tried - we have created some real winners when it comes to making dishes using canned tomatoes.

As a high school and college student, I started to experiment with cooking. Most of what I made were the dishes I had grown up on. But, I liked to try new things too. I tried dishes like Sweet and Sour Chicken with large tomato wedges (they were fresh tomatoes, but it reinforced my love of the flavor of a warmed tomato) and even tried my hand at a homemade spaghetti sauce.

When my husband and I were still newlyweds, one night, we were planning to have macaroni and cheese for dinner. It sounded sort of boring, so we decided to perk it up. I added a can of diced tomatoes and some cumin to the macaroni and cheese. We loved it and made it a "recipe" that we included on our list of options for dinner.

I had grown up on a chili that was very flavorful, but was a thinner soup variety. Wanting to make it thicker or chunkier, I added a can of diced tomatoes the next time I made it. It was wonderful. It gave it more flavor and texture. (you can find my chili recipe here)

When we had kids, I started to learn that a can of diced tomatoes could enhance flavor and extend the number of servings for dishes. Adding a can of tomatoes to sloppy joes increases the number of servings that I can get from the ground beef or turkey and in my opinion, enhance their flavor. I have also added them to jarred pasta sauce to give it more flavor and texture and it also helps make a jar of sauce and ground beef or turkey go further. Essentially, it lets me save about 1/4# of ground meat for the same servings or gives me a full leftover meal without reducing the ground meat.

In the winter, for recipes like Sonora Chicken Pasta, that uses fresh, diced tomatoes, I have found that I can substitute drained, canned, diced tomatoes. Not quite as good as fresh tomatoes, but still a great substitute.

I have found that for recipes that need a little more pop, or need a little more fresh flavor, that adding a can of tomatoes can make a difference. Some examples are Nacho Mac'n Cheese and Cheeseburger Pasta - both were good meals on their own following the recipe, but adding the tomatoes just improved their flavor.

I have even found recipes whose base is canned tomatoes, like my Roasted Shrimp with Tomatoes. I use canned tomatoes to make my Spaghetti and Meatballs too. We like the flavor of this homemade sauce made with the canned tomatoes, that we are almost disappointed when we just have a jar of sauce.

Using canned tomatoes works for me! They are an inexpensive and easy way to add more servings and flavor to home cooked meals as well.

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Birthdays!

I love birthdays! Always have, even my own. When I became a mom, birthdays became even more special to me, especially my children's birthdays. I want for their birthday to be a special occasion for them. Each year, they get to choose their theme and we build the party around their choice. For the most part, birthday parties are held on the weekend and include family and family friends. This year, we did have a party with his friends for my son at the local minor league ballpark, but that isn't something that we will do every year to be certain.

One of the challenges of throwing a party (of any sort really, not just birthday) is incorporating the theme and keeping things on budget. I do my best to balance the cost with the experience.

We typically design and print our own invitations (or occasionally e-mail them). This allows us to customize them to fit our theme without having to pay licensed product costs for the initiations. When we did an airplane theme, we created mock boarding passes for each guest and housed the party details in the flight details section of the ticket. When we did the Wiggles theme, we put together concert tickets for the event. My husband is in charge of the creative part, but I usually try to provide ideas (or challenges) for him. The airline ticket was my idea, the concert ticket was his, but the execution was all him.

The next thing that I do to keep expenses low is to throw the birthday party at my house. As our kids are older and our family and friends have more children and they get older, our house is starting to feel a little tight at birthday parties, but then we just spread out. In the summer, for my son's birthday, we take advantage of the weather and open the party up to the outdoors - eating on the deck and playing in the yard. In the winter, for my daughter's birthday, we have to rely on sending the kids off to play in the playroom in the basement (which works now that they are older and we don't have to monitor their every move).

Another thing that I do to keep expenses low is to cook for my own party. Catering might be quick and easy, but it comes with a price tag. It may be boring, but for my son's birthday, we center our meal around hot dogs and hamburgers. It includes picnic fare and more. For my daughter's birthday, we have a roasted turkey with all the trimmings. We are able to feed a lot of people for a reasonable price.

When it comes to partyware, I make a balance between themed and unthemed partyware. This year, despite the plates and napkins not being available until sometime in October, I was able to find reasonably priced Phineas and Ferb paper goods on eBay. (I actually contacted Hallmark to find out where to purchase locally. I could tell from the stickers in the eBay pictures that the products were Hallmark. They were the ones that told me that they weren't yet available and there was no way to get any to me - for purchase or review (I asked, since they don't actually sell consumer direct by phone and was wondering how else to get them) because they wouldn't be available until October. If so, why were there no fewer than 20 people selling them on eBay?) As I was saying though, I balance between themed and unthemed. For Phineas and Ferb, I bought a couple packs of plates and some napkins that had Phineas and Ferb on them. Then I bought yellow napkins and plates (and used plain old white for dinner - which I'm thinking I'd like to move to something more green, more on that later). I stacked my napkins in an alternating pattern. Not everyone through the line got a Phineas and Ferb napkin, but everyone got a plate when it was cake time. Sometimes, I have to make my partyware fit a theme, because we seem to choose themes that don't yet have partyware. The best and easiest example was the Wiggles party we had a few years ago - we simply bought bright red, blue, yellow and purple plates and napkins. Easy Peasy! In general though, I go for dessert plates in my theme and napkins in my theme and combine them with solid napkins and with plain plates for dinner.

One other thing that we do to save money (and make it more memorable for the kids - I hope) is to make our own cakes. I've mentioned before that this is my creative outlet. I'm not an overly creative or crafty person, but something about the challenge of a themed cake - I love. I think because it is more problem solving than anything and as an engineer, that was what I was taught. Here is a picture of my Phineas and Ferb cake (you can see past examples here):
(turned out pretty okay if you want my opinion!) I made a regular cake in a 9x13 pan and then some cupcakes (which weren't originally part of my plan, but I was glad to have when the logo didn't fit). I frosted the cake in a solid yellow color (matched my napkins nicely). I took my marshmallow fondant experience that I gained last year in doing the Dueling Light Saber Cake, and applied it to the decorations. The Phineas and Ferb were inspired by nice pictures that I found on a folder in the back to school section. It was nice to have them at a scale that was similar for what I needed on the cake. The best thing about making a themed cake is seeing your child's eyes light up when they look at it. It makes it all worthwhile.

This approach works for me and allows us to create a special party experience for the kids without the price tag that might be expected.

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

Shopping at Club Stores

One of the ways that my family saves money is shopping at club stores. There are a handful of club stores that I am familiar with - Sam's Club, BJs and Costco - which are all local. (well, depends on how you define local - I am at least 45 minutes to an hour away from the nearest Costco).

We have belonged to one warehouse club or another, since we have been married. Our first membership was courtesy of a gift from my company for a successful year. Once we started shopping at the club store, we determined it was a good idea for us and have renewed each year. The club that we join has varied over the years, as our needs and our locations have changed.

As a frugal shopper, and someone who used to keep a price list (too hard to maintain with two kids, now I rely on my knowledge of typical sale prices), I can tell you that not all items at a club store are a good value every day. Some items, like cereal, unless there is a coupon in the monthly mailer or the fliers at the store, typically is a better deal when it is on sale at the grocery or drug store. It definitely pays to check pricing and to make sure that you are getting a value and not to just assume that because it is a big package that it has to be a good deal. We have been known, on non-food items, to look them up on Amazon to check pricing before making a purchase decision (got to love internet capable phones).

There are a few items that are staples of nearly every trip to the club store - tissues, paper towels, trash bags, Parmesan cheese (you should see the size of the container!) and Skittles (for my husband to enjoy while watching movies in his media room). These are things that we use regularly and we have found that with the club store prices and the coupons provided monthly by the club, that these are good values. Other things that we buy there on a regular basis include fruit cups, premade hamburger patties, Bagel Bites, and air dusters.

When the kids were younger, we bought diapers and wipes almost exclusively at the club store. We found that their deals were typically the best (of course, this was before I was familiar with the Drug Store game, so maybe my perspective would be different?). At the time, we belonged to a club that took manufacturer coupons for the items in addition to their store coupons, with stacking the coupons it helped make the deals even better. We even found that we liked the store brand diapers and if there weren't any deals on the branded diapers, we would pick those up.

There are many other items, besides food and personal care items, that you can get a good deal on at the club stores. We have picked up coats, sweats, shirts, shoes, socks, pajamas, books, toys, and more while shopping. We even found an end of season clearance section on our last visit, allowing us to save even more. Their greeting cards are offered at a discount every day. Their DVDs and music, as well as electronics, usually seem to be offered at a good price, especially when matched with a coupon from their flier. In addition, my daughter loves to dress her dolly in matching outfits and we have had pretty good luck finding "dolly and me" clothes at the club store.

Our club store offers discounted gasoline as well. Unfortunately, it used to be a much better deal - now, sometimes it is the same price as local stations and sometimes it is just a few cents cheaper. If it is cheaper, we fill up - even a few pennies a gallon can make a difference.

My kids don't mind shopping at the club store either. They like to look at all the different stuff, and of course, they love to try the samples.

We don't shop there weekly by any means (although if the store were closer, I might stop in more frequently). Typically, we go every 4 to 6 weeks. We tend to only head out when we are almost out of something or as we prepare for an event. Right now, we are planning a trip in preparation for my son's birthday party and an upcoming fantasy football draft. We need some hamburgers, some snacks, and probably some plastic flatware (although I have a friend that keeps a tin full of traditional flatware that she pulls out for family events and parties - I think that might be my next step in being more green and frugal).

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday.

(do you shop at Sam's? Enter to win a $25 gift card here)

10,000 Steps

Most days I wear a pedometer. I have a number of pedometers. Some just count steps, some convert steps to miles and others convert steps to miles and calculate an approximate calories burned. In the end, they all accomplish the same thing...they keep me moving.

I had once heard that people that wear a pedometer tend to be more active/take more steps, even on days that they don't wear their pedometer. This doesn't sound like a surprise to me. Being active and walking is just like any other activity, after a few days, it starts to become a habit. Things you modify in your routine, like parking in the furthest parking space at work or the store, stick and you do them even when you aren't wearing your pedometer. As with any habit though, if you go to long without wearing the pedometer and being aware of steps, it starts to fade.

When I first start to wear a pedometer (yes, I go through spurts of wearing it and not and I don't wear it 100% of the time), I find that the first few days my total step count is lower than I would have expected. Then, as a few days pass and I am more aware of how many steps I am taking, it gradually increases until I am exceeding 10,000 steps every day. When I'm not getting the steps I expect, I start to take the long way around the floor to the bathroom - I can either go right there or I can circle around the floor. I walk over to someones desk if I have a question instead of just calling. These may sound like little things, but they add up. On days where schedules align and weather cooperates, I can get a lot of steps in on my lunch hour walk - in fact it is something around 5000 steps achieved on the walk alone.

I don't put the pedometer on in the morning until I am walking out the door. It is hard to say how many steps I might not be counting, but it is just easier to leave it on the counter with my keys and grab it when I leave. I wear it at night until I am ready to head upstairs (that's when I take it off and leave it with my keys. : - )!) I actually was pretty surprised how many steps I take after work, when I am home. Between running up and down stairs and walking between the refrigerator and stove as I cook dinner, they really add up. Throw in a trip to the store or grocery or a walk around the block with the kids and there is a chance for more steps.

I have a friend at work that if she hasn't reached 10,000 steps, she doesn't allow herself to sit down and watch TV in the evening. Of course, she has an interesting work around, she marches in place, while watching TV to get to her 10,000 steps.

One other benefit of wearing a pedometer and tracking steps is earning Activity Points on Weight Watchers. If you reach 10,000 steps in a day and track it, it is worth 1 Activity Point. Somewhere around 14,000, it is worth 2 Points and if you are really active, you can get 3 Points for 20,000 steps. (I'm not entirely sure where the break points are with the steps, I just looked back at a few I had done.) The Activity Points are treated differently if you have steps associated with specific exercise instead of just across the full day.

Another benefit, to steal the words of someone commenting on Money Saving Mom's P90X on a budget post, is that pavement is free. You don't need to invest money to walk for exercise (shoes aside - but I just wear regular shoes, I guess you could argue I wear them quicker by putting on more miles, but it can't be that much quicker). Many of my pedometers have been free - I think I have one from Nature Made and one from Del Monte and actually two from different events at work - but even if you buy one, you can get one for a fairly reasonable price.

Staying active and burning more calories by wearing a pedometer, is frugal and works for me.

This post shared at Works For Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday.

Garage Sales

I love garage sales - whether I'm having it or I'm shopping at them. This past weekend, we had our community garage sale. I love garage sales.

First, I love garage sales because I want to participate and don't want to do so with only 10 items, so garage sales force me to go through things and get rid of what I don't use or want or need. There have been many things in my life that we have bought, expecting them to be great or to get regular use, only to find out that we don't like them or simply don't use them or after time we replace them with the latest and greatest. Now, with kids, there is a lot of things that we grow out of - clothes, shoes, toys. Throughout the year, I keep a bin in basement to gather garage sale items. As we clean closets and such, I make piles of trash, donate or garage sale. Plus, a few weeks before the big sale, we usually try to go through rooms and clear out the excess.

Second, I love that not only is someone finding something that they can use and hopefully, they see as a good value, but I can "make" money. In reality, I paid (or someone did at least) a lot more for an item than I can resell it at used, but when you sell a number of things at even 50cents or $1, it can add up quickly. This extra cash is a nice little perk. This year, since the kids cleaned out some extra toys this year, we gave them each a little bit of money from the sale to add to their piggy banks. They were excited to make some money and we achieved the goal of removing some clutter from their rooms, closets and toy boxes. We will use part of our money for a dinner out with friends - a chance to splurge without impacting a real budget and the rest will go to our savings account.

Third, I like knowing that whatever I don't sell, most of it will be donated. This helps me as a tax deduction, helps those in need by providing them products available at a thrift shop at a reasonable cost and it helps the community, as the groups like Salvation Army and Goodwill provide services to the community in part through the income at the thrift store.

Fourth, I love to shop at garage sales. When you find quality product, it can be a very frugal way to pick up items that you need or want - who doesn't like getting something at a fraction of retail? I don't necessarily buy a lot at garage sales, but I have found some really good deals at garage sales. You just have to watch - I went to one sale this year and everything my daughter wanted (like Hello Kitty pajamas) had stains on it. I told her we didn't want that outfit and guy having the sale overheard me and replied, "my daughter is a little messy and a lot of stuff is stained". Ummm, well I wanted to ask, "what makes you think that people are shopping for the stained stuff". When my children were babies, I found many simple things like sleepers, outfits and toys that I could pick up for a good price. As they have gotten older, I find less clothing and tend to get more books and games, but I have bought my daughter many dresses over the years, including some very fancy ones, for less than $2. This year, at the community sale, shopping together we spent $6. We bought Bingo, Mousetrap, 4 books, 1 dress, 1 pair of shorts and 1 shirt. Actually, in total we spent $7. My son went off and did some shopping on his own - which later turned into a great lesson about buyer's remorse and why to not making hasty purchase decisions. He had bought a folder and a book from a sale for $1. The book, he gave to his sister, which I found very generous. The folder, he was disappointed to learn when he got home that it was "dirty" on the inside - as it likely had housed papers that were completed with pencil, leaving a haze of graphite on the inside. I explained to him that he should have checked out the items he was purchasing in full, before purchasing - you can't make a return to a garage sale. I also explained, that had he asked, I would have let him know that he could have gotten a similar folder new for about the same cost, especially with upcoming back to school deals. In the grand scheme, the 50 cents that he spent on the folder is not a big deal, but to him it was huge.

I must vent a little though, about something I found and don't love. So, one of the houses that I stopped at in the neighborhood was selling a lot of razors, feminine care products, and more. It seemed clear to me that she had done well shopping the various drug stores and was now selling those products. Sure, she was selling them for less than someone could walk into a store and purchase them for so it was still a garage sale deal, find or gem, but there are many things about this that bother me. First, buy what you need, not what you can get. Sure, build a stockpile, buy for friends, buy for donation, but to buy it with the intent to resell it to make money on it - just doesn't feel right (selling it at a church or charity benefit - still not sure that feels right, but perhaps at least less wrong). Another thing that frustrates me is that it seems likely, given the quantities, that there was a chance that she was using more than one card. I say this because some of the items are "new" and there haven't been enough deal cycles to have the quantities that she did. It bothers me that people that abuse the system can make it harder for others to take advantage of deals (how often do you go to find the shelves bare) and really, neither the store nor the manufacturer is looking for someone to buy out the store, at or near free, and then turn around and sell the product to someone else. It's not a good business model. Sure, you can argue that someone else would have bought it if she had left it on shelf, but reselling it also removes a future consumer from the mix for a purchase cycle, as they already bought it outside the store. Am I missing something? Does this feel okay to others and I am unjustified in my feelings? Thanks for letting me vent.

Having garage sales to clear out items that we no longer use, need or want and shopping at garage sales to find good deals on things we will use, need or want - works for me.

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday.

Rainy Day Entertainment

When my kids complained one day a few years ago of being bored, I built them a fort. I can remember building forts with my brothers as a child. The forts were never super fancy, built out of blankets and cushions, but they were special because they were a space all our own. I figured it would be something that my kids would also enjoy, so I used several afghans and throws to construct a fort in the open space between our sofa and our recliner. Then, to create a more roomy fort, I added the easel and a kitchen chair to help expand the covered area.

It was an instant hit. There is something so magical about a fort. Suddenly the same books and games and toys that we have are more interesting, because they can be played with inside the fort, a space all their own - where Mom and Dad can't come in.

They will move stacks of books and games into their fort after it is built. Some are for playing and others are for constructing internal "walls" to divide their space. They also like to take in flashlights to help light the darkened play area and blankets and pillows for pretending it is nap and bedtime (the same two that dont' want to take a nap or go to bed). It is fun to be outside the fort listening to their conversations. It is great to hear their imagination hard at work during their play.

I frequently have to repair the fort as they bump into the 'roof' and it gapes or falls. Despite building it in the same area each time, the fort is never quite the same. Each time though, it is sure to please and entertain.

At the end of the day, or before we head out for errands, we tear down the fort - they get so upset, as if we can't just rebuild it the next day or later when we are ready to play again.

When we visit my parent's house, my mom builds a fort using her dining room table with the chairs pulled out and covering it with a couple of afghans - giving them a large fort area with a secure roof. They each take their own flashlight and create a play area all their own.

We tend to build forts when it rains or snows and to bridge the mid-day in summer, when it is too hot and the sun too intense to spend the time outside. It is easy and cheap entertainment for the kids and brings back memories of my childhood.

This post shared at Works For Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday.

Growing Your Own Vegetables

I just love having a garden. I can remember my parents having a garden when I was a child. They planted potatoes, tomatoes, onions and more. I can remember one year that we planted some melons and the neighbor boys picked some and buried them in the sandbox while we were out of town on vacation. I can remember eating lots of tomatoes. When we moved and had a larger garden, I remember having strawberries in the garden as well and even some corn. I remember my grandparents' gardens - and eating and bringing home fresh vegetables and fruit. I remember my Grandma humming while she worked in her garden. I remember lots of delicious food from those gardens - fresh green beans and ham, rhubarb cake, zucchini bread, fried zucchini, tomato slices, strawberry pies, cucumber slices, cucumber salad and more.

As a mom, a garden can serve so many purposes.

There is just something so delicious about eating produce right from your own garden. I'm not sure what it is, but they are always sweeter and more flavorful. Perhaps it is knowing that you grew that fruit/vegetable, or perhaps it is just because it is so much more fresh than what you can pick up at the store. In my opinion, tomatoes are best served, slightly warmed from the sun with a quick rinse to knock off any dirt. Not only that, but it is a very economical way to enjoy lots of fresh vegetables. When you consider the costs of seeds/plants and the amount of fruits/vegetables that they will produce, there is no doubt that it is cheaper than buying that amount of fruit at the store. It is a great way to save money.

The kids simply love the garden. All spring they have been asking about when we can plant the garden. This of course has led to an opportunity for them to learn as discussions about frost and why we have to wait to plant a garden ensued.
It helps kids learn about plants and growing. My son even brought home a bean plant that they had started as a seed (unfortunately, we didn't replant it quick enough and it doesn't appear that it will survive - so I guess that was a lesson too!). They learn about how it takes water and sunshine for a garden to grow.

It also inspires the kids to eat the vegetables and expand their food experiences. There is something about growing your own vegetables in a garden that leads kids to want to eat those vegetables. Even my son who will sometimes pick through a dish at dinner leaving behind any tomato chunks, can barely take the time to clean a tomato fresh from the garden before eating it. Onions, peppers and cucumbers are the other vegetables that we are growing in our garden this year. Not as much of a culinary adventure as last year when we had eggplant and zucchini, but I got it in late and selection was limited when I picked up my plants. It's not large (I would love a bigger garden), but it provides us with fresh produce that we can pick for dinner.

Growing my own garden works for me. A garden is a great learning opportunity for children and a frugal way to enjoy fresh produce in the summer, and beyond if you can/freeze the vegetables.

This post shared at Works For Me Wednesday and Frugal Friday.

Moving to Cloth

For months now, I have been reading posts about people that have eliminated the use of paper towels and napkins from their homes. I didn't think it was something that we could do, but I did believe we could certainly reduce our reliance on paper in the kitchen areas.

I brought the idea of moving to cloth napkins up to my husband. He was not convinced that it was a good idea. He wasn't convinced that it would save us that much. First, we would have to purchase the cloth napkins. Second, he was concerned that it would create a lot of extra laundry and that there wouldn't be napkins available because they would be in the wash.

I thought it was possible and figured the best way to find out was to jump in with both feet, so I started scanning post holiday clearance sales for beige cloth napkins. I was only able to come up with 4 napkins, which would not be enough. Then when my husband was shopping the local Kmart that is going out of business, he was able to pick up a total of 8 more napkins.

I washed them up and put them in our napkin holder. I had to fold them in thirds and thirds so that they would fit. There are still paper napkins underneath, just in case we need them, but we have been using just (mostly) the cloth napkins for almost two months now. It really has been easy. My husband still isn't a big fan, but he uses them. Since I already do laundry almost daily, there really hasn't been a time where we were without napkins and since they are small and most days we only have one meal a day at home, it really hasn't increased the amount of laundry that we do. The 12 napkins that we have is working fine for us, but I will watch for clearance deals and maybe pick up a few more.

It has been a small step, but a good one for saving money and the environment. Next step, try to start using old washcloths for cleaning and dusting. I think that will be a harder one for me to fully sell - my husband uses paper towels to clean everything (love that he cleans!), but I grew up using dust cloths and wash cloths for cleaning.

This post shared at Frugal Friday.

Saving Money on Your Phone Bill: Losing the Land Line

When the phone company nearly doubled our monthly bill for the same service about a month ago, we went looking for options.

A few weeks ago I asked about options, but we finally did it: we dropped our land line for cellular.

I was worried about a handful of things in making this decision:
1. I didn't like the idea of the kids using the cell phones to talk to family and friends.
2. I was worried about 911 from cellular service.
3. I didn't like the idea of the kids being home with a babysitter now or on their own in the future and there not being a phone at home.
4. I didn't want to have to change all of my contact information at the oodles of places where I have my home phone number listed.

I found a resolution for each that I was pleased with.

To me, there is still too much unknown on the impact of cell for me to be comfortable with my kids using the cell phones to talk to everyone. We did some research and a little bit of trial and error and found a system to allow us to use our home handsets to make and receive calls on our cell phone. We wound up going with the XLink and made our purchase about two weeks ago.

Simply pair your blue tooth cellphone to the XLink and plug your handset into the XLink. Then, you can use your regular handset to make and receive calls on your cell phone. A great way to take advantage of all of those Unlimited Night and Weekend minutes.

We had some concerns at first with how it would work, but as we have learned more - like keep the cell phone close to the XLink, not just in range - we found that the XLink works rather well. There is a slight delay between pick up and connection, but not more than a couple of seconds. There are even some advantages that we got with going to the XLink and cellular. We never had caller ID on our home phone, but now we are able to program our phone book into the phone and have caller ID on each of the handsets. We also didn't have call waiting on our home phone, but with the cell phone, we do have call waiting and with the addition of Caller ID, we now know whether to stay on the call we are on or switch over to the other one. This is pretty important to me since so many people that call us are long distance and the last thing I want to do is put them on hold to click over to a solicitation or other random call. You can even transfer the phone from the handset to the mobile if you need to head out. Overall, we have been pleased with the XLink.

We called and found out that 911 calls from cell phones route through the sheriff's office instead of our local police, but are then rerouted back to our local police. We weren't thrilled with this but were happy to know that the call would get to the right location. But, then I learned that the phone company maintains a "heartline" (or something like that) dial tone on the line once it is cancelled - let's you call them or 911. We plugged a corded set into one of our home phone jacks, so now we have a phone that can be used to call the local 911.

We ultimately decided to get a dedicated cell phone for our home and had our home phone number ported over. The process to port over a land line to a cell is a lot longer than I expected - they had said 24 - 72 hours, but it took most of a week (Sunday - Friday). Now that it is done though, we have a phone that stays in our house at all times, is answered by the regular answering machine and has our old home phone number on it.

Sure, there was an initial cost to purchase the XLink and because we wanted phones throughout the house, we also bought a new cordless phone system that allowed for multiple handsets to work with one base. We also added an additional cell phone to our cell phone plan, which will be a new monthly expense. Even so, our net monthly savings will be about $40 compared to the recently increased phone bill. We will pay for the XLink and the new cordless phones within the first couple of months and everything beyond will be pure savings.

Update: The group at XLink was kind enough to extend a $5 savings opportunity to my readers. To take advantage of this savings, head here and use coupon code 'busymom' at checkout.

This post linked up at Frugal Fridays and Super Savings Saturday.