On Saturday, June 10, 12 – 4pm, Sportsplex@Fairfield is hosting a FREE Family Fun Day with the theme of “Family, Healthy Lifestyle and Community.”
Support a local business whenever you can.
This past year, Sportsplex has partnered with our school district’s efforts to promote healthy eating and exercise by hosting “Energy In, Energy Out” events.
Health IS wealth! Hope to see you there-
~Aimee, TFF
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Click and watch this now, a video from Yahoo’s Remake America. It’s actually a very well-edited short video on why you should use cash versus plastic! Hint: If you use cash, this video says you will save 20% every time you shop (that’s $1 out of $5 that you keep in your pocket). (Access the video here.)
Use cash, cash, cash to save, save, save.
~Marilyn, TFF
Homemade popsicles are tasty, inexpensive, and healthy. Here are some new versions to try this summer.
Now that I have a new food processor, I’m interested in making my own popsicles.
Though I’d love to buy a Zoku popsicle maker, I’ll wait until I see one on sale. For now, I’ll use the good old-fashioned cup and stick method, or maybe get some basic molds.
It turns out homemade popsicles are all the rage. I would love to get a Zoku Quick Pop Maker (it makes popsicles in seven minutes!), but I think I will wait until I find one on sale. But you can make these recipes in anything from a Zoku to a paper cup/craft stick! I bought two molds at Bed, Bath & Beyond with a coupon. (The store also carries an Xpress Popsicle Maker for $29.99., but even with a coupon, I’m not willing to spend the money!)
We bought a bottled organic lemonade (cherry-lemon blend) that tasted just awful, but we salvaged the juice by pouring it into popsicle molds. The lemonade was delicious frozen! So if you have drips and drabs of leftover juice or you bought a somewhat vile-tasting product, try freezing it.
Of course it’s a no-brainer–mix low-fat yogurt with berries in a food processor and pour into molds. Whatever doesn’t fit into the molds is a smoothie, anyhow, so drink up. My kids love this kind of blend as a popsicle. If the blend needs some liquid, just drop in a bit of fruit juice or lemon juice to thin it out a bit.
(great for diabetics and those on low-glycemic food plans):
(The fruity taste of this popsicle is unbelievable! My entire family went crazy for these. It costs about .46 cents to make 7-8 pops but I did not get the jello on sale, and I did not get the best price for the Crystal Light, either. It still came out nice and frugal.)
For more sugar-free pop ideas, visit Sixuntilme.com. Also visit All Recipes for this dessert.
Strawberry jello plus lemonade make the most delicious popsicle mix!
I’ll spare you the experiment I made by whipping together part-skim ricotta cheese and strawberries. Ricotta is great whipped with fruit and a bit of sugar (tiny bit), but frozen, you have to develop somewhat of a taste for it. The ricotta-strawberry pop idea is good for a low-low-low-fat and low-low-low-sugar treat, but don’t count on your kids asking for seconds.
Stick to the lemonade/jello recipes for happy kids!
Breastfeeding has been on my list of frugal living topics about which to write. Then along came that provocative Time magazine cover photo with the words that ask “Are you Mom Enough?” For goodness sakes, it made me want to scream, “We Are All Mom Enough!” Because of the photo that does a disservice to women and mothers, I almost missed reading the well-written article inside the magazine, which is about Dr. William Sears, attachment parenting, and the different ways parents put his theories into practice. In these challenging economic times, isn’t it more worthwhile to be helpful toward one another? With that in mind, my intention here is to share my experience of saving money by breastfeeding my babies.
Breastfeeding symbol (Photo credit: Topinambour)
While pregnant I read about all kinds of benefits of breastfeeding. What struck me the most was the potential annual savings of over $1,000 per year. I breastfed my three babies as a working mom and as an at-home mom. And, I must add, I couldn’t have done it with each child without the support of my ever-loving husband! Making parenting choices is a team effort, and this aspect of parenting – choosing what our baby was going to eat – was no different.
I went back to work when our oldest was 9 weeks old and when our youngest was 8 months old. Quality infant care is not cheap, nor should it be. Breastfeeding and pumping milk meant that we could allocate money to the daycare cost that we would otherwise need to spend on formula. By not having to buy formula for all three kids in the first year of their lives, I estimate that we saved at least $4, 500. Other cost savings were in healthcare – there were fewer trips to the doctor because of the immune-system boost that breastfeeding provides babies, which also meant fewer missed days from work. Our children were among the rare few who were not prescribed an antibiotic before the age of 3.
It’s important to recognize that breastfeeding is not for everyone and that not all mothers are physically able to nurse their babies for whatever reason. If you are able to try it out, consider the savings, and that:
Bringing it back to the Time Magazine article, the theory of attachment parenting, while a timely topic, is nothing new. As with anything you do in life and in any relationship, you want to strive for balance. Some who read Dr. Bill Sears’ books take his advice to extremes. The cover photo seems to suggest an example of this kind of person, especially one who wants to pick a fight with you about it! Because I am someone who “extended nursed”, I feel strongly that the photo is a misrepresentation of what it is truly like to nurse a toddler. First of all, the true posture is one of cradling the child and, second, you nurse a toddler for shorter periods of time and a lot less frequently than an infant. Breastmilk for an older nursling is more nutrient dense, so s/he gets the energy s/he need as s/he weans. My oldest weaned at age 3 and 1/2, my second weaned at age 2 and my third weaned when he was a little over 3 years old.
I am grateful to have tandem nursed our first two children. They are now aged 10, 8, and 6. They are typical, active, and, like any children their ages, enjoy testing their parents’ limits . Reading the Time Magazine article made me think of other benefits to nursing them – that if there is one trait in our children that could be attributed to our choice of breastfeeding and attachment parenting, it is their ability to be empathetic. Is it possible to know for sure? Of course not, but it’s all well-worth the reflection.
May you take the time to discover the frugality and other long-term benefits of breastfeeding your child.
~Aimee, TFF
Related articles and resources
In addition to people who hate couponers, there’s a segment of shoppers who feel guilty that they don’t coupon. What to do if you have a bad case of Coupon Burnout.
I’m part of a lovely book group, and many of the women were in my January coupon workshops. Last night was a get-together and when a couple of the women who I haven’t seen in a while saw me, they told me they fell off the coupon bandwagon, or that they just can’t do it, or that they just can’t shop like I do. The guilt was palpable and it made me uncomfortable.
If you hop from store to store and feel your heart racing when you find products for free with coupon, you are heading for Coupon Burnout. Then, you’ll quit couponing and the guilt will set in. Stop the silly cycle of burnout and guilt. Take it slow! (Photo credit: Hotcouponworld.com)
I am not sure if they still think I’m an extreme couponer (I’m so not). When I told them that I don’t use coupons every time I shop, they were shocked! I only use coupons when I see a great deal that’s on sale that matches my coupons (i.e.: free containers of Wet Ones wipes at ShopRite this week–we use them all summer on our boat and at the beach so of course I’ll grab four to eight of them!). But folks…there’s no need to feel guilty if you DON’T use coupons, for heaven’s sake! If not couponing works for you, then that’s completely okay!
The guilt is going to set in soon since a new season of TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” show begins end of May. Inevitably, more people will ask me how to coupon, more people will go nuts with coupons, and then they stop couponing. Just like the women who went to my workshops. They have a case of Coupon Burnout. The trick is not to use every coupon you see in every store you shop. It’s a matter of what you need, what you want, what’s on sale, and if you have the coupons to stock a few of the same product (so you don’t have to go out and get one full price).
A bit of guilt is normal after going gangbusters on couponing. But that phase should last a short time. Just enjoy coupons, enjoy what you buy, and stop feeling guilty every time you see me :–)
~Marilyn, TFF
I’ve been making this recipe since March 2007, when food.com was recipezaar.com. It’s a family fave for carrots and red pepper dips and great for potluck party platters of veggie and pita chips/pretzels. Back then, I halved the recipe, and my little 3-cup mini-food processor I received as a wedding present was all I needed to make it. Well, in a short time, the demand grew for more homemade hummus.
For Christmas 2010, I received a Hamilton Beach 10-cup Food Processor. Unfortunately, its cheap price tag matches it’s quality and it no longer makes fancy sliced veggies. However, it still does the job of whirring together all the ingredients for hummus nice and fast. Its 10-cup capacity enables me to double the recipe easily, which ensures that I have enough for lunchboxes and after school snacks.
For the last 4 years, cooking dried beans has proven to be a real money-saver, especially when buying in bulk. Like with most cooking, you just need to do a little planning ahead, in this case, soak the beans overnight. In the last couple of years, I have found that 2 cups of dried garbanzo beans will give you what you need for this recipe, with a little left over to throw into salad.
Since getting a pressure cooker set last fall, cooking dried garbanzo beans, takes no time at all. You don’t even need to soak them (though I still do, for a couple of hours). I highly recommend investing in a pressure cooker set!
Enjoy this delicious, healthy protein dip with your favorite crunchy veggie or fruit slices, pretzels, pita chips or tortilla chips!
~Aimee, TFF
Some people take the time to remove the outer layer off of the chickpeas after cooking. I don’t find that this extra effort changes the taste or texture.
Remember to save half a cup of the cooking water. If using canned garbanzos, include the liquid in the can.
Voila! Hummus for the week! Here are stainless steel containers I use for lunchboxes. Great for dipping sliced carrots, red pepper, and/or whole grain pretzel sticks.
TFF
