Frugal Living

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Things to do with small kids in Pocatello (frugal)!

If you are new to Pocatello, Welcome!!! Pocatello is my home town, and I’m proud of that! It’s a great place to raise a family. The cost of living is also much lower than any place we have lived. Moving 13 times in the last 10 years made me realize how much I love Idaho and Pocatello specifically.

Scout mountain is only 30 min away with very affordable camping options. I missed this a TON when we lived other places. It took us at least an hour drive with our littles to get to a camping spot like this everywhere else we lived. They have tent and RV sites with lots of vegetation for shade. I think last time we went it was 10 bucks per night and it is first come first serve.

Kiwi Loco has kid cups your child can cram full for only 2 bucks each! Super awesome deal. Make sure to ask at the counter for them-they are kept behind the counter a lot because the stack of small cups is always falling over. This offer is good for children ages 12 and under.

The Soda Barn is fairly new on Chubbuck road and has really fun options for kids like their “shark attack” which is cherry 7up with shark gummies in it, and “life guard” which is blue soda with peach ring gummies in it. Most people go to the drive through but we always sit inside at one of the tables together. Our kids adore this place and for less than 2 bucks a drink, we have gone there a few times. A different place we lived had a similar business, but they charged a lot more and we never went back.

The Pine Ridge Mall has an indoor play area free to kids. Kids over 5 years old aren’t supposed to play there because of the safety issue it poses for little crawlers and toddlers, but as long as my kids are playing safely and aren’t being crazy I still let them play. Otherwise they sit on the bench by me. Next to the play area is a clump of those rides that cost quarters. To me it’s horrendous to charge 1.00 per ride so I just let my kids sit on them for a bit if they want and then we go pick a gumball for everyone down the mall a bit for a quarter each. There is one game I let my kids play on a special occassion and it’s the claw game for rubber ducks because you can play it until you win something. They let you try over and over again until the motion sensor sees something drop down the chute from the claw so it’s worth the dollar to me as a special treat. The mall also has an arcade area where kids can stomp on reactive lights for free or play arcade games for money.

Mckees pet store is another great addition to our town! There are two locations where you can go gawk at the animals but the Chubbuck location is fantastic. It has a small petting zoo outside where you can walk on the path and see all sorts of animals like goats, llamas, chickens, pigs, rams, emus, and ponies. There is a donation box to keep the petting zoo open and you can also pay a quarter to get some food from the food dispenser to feed the baby goats. We put a couple dollars in once in a while. We go at least 6 times a year because they constantly have different animals having babies and they get their chicks, ducklings, and baby bunnies in the spring time that are super fun to see. The giant turtle is cool but my son is super scared of it so I have to show him where it is right when we go in or he’ll think it’s wandering around the store (the workers let it walk around sometimes). They even had a camel for a few years. In the winter time we will look mostly at the new puppies they have, the birds, and any new kittens or guinea pigs.

Tastee treat has ice cream that can’t be beat by any other fast food store I’ve been to, but whenever we have gone to it since moving back the service is about 3 times longer than expected so we don’t go as often. Their most popular use for our family is their waffle cone wednesday when the ice cream in a waffle cone are only 1.00 each.

There are a lot of fast food places with play structures in them around town. Two of them are Carl’s junior on Yellowstone in front of Winco and McDonald’s on yellowstone. We like to go get a milkshake to share or maybe some fries just so we can play on the toys and have a good time.

There are two libraries, one in Pocatello called Marshall Public Library and one in Chubbuck called the Portneuf Public Library. We go get the monthly schedule and attend the music and movement at the Chubbuck library with our preschool aged kids. It’s the best one in my opinion, and if he participates in the class I let him play with the train tracks, magnets, and other toys in the kids area for a bit. You will need your ID and proof of address (power bill) to get a library card.

To find out about events in general, facebook is our key! We make sure to like the Pocatello District 25 facebook page so we can follow the events posted there. Make sure to like your children’s school facebook page as well to stay in the loop as much as you can with that.

There is an amazing parade the day after Thanksgiving in downtown Pocatello that happens at NIGHT! It’s called the Light’s Parade because each float is decorated in Christmas lights and they have Santa at the very end. VERY fun, worth the wait, worth the cold! There really isn’t anywhere to go to the bathroom though so I highly suggest bringing a child’s potty in your car. Make sure everyone tries to go before you leave. Yes, they do throw candy and sometimes glow sticks. We bring hand warmers, a couple chairs, wear coats, hats, and gloves. Pocatello is COLD in November, people! Hot cocoa in a thermos wouldn’t hurt either haha!

The downtown shops offer family events for holidays. Examples include a candy cane hunt, egg hunt, or trick or treating in a safe environment. In these events you will go from shop to shop hunting or participating. They like having events to promote you spending money at the local businesses instead of all the shopping online. These events are always free though! It’s a great chance to see what downtown has to offer, as well as a super fun time for the kids!

Home Depot is right next to the AMC theatre and the mall. They have a free workshop for kids on the first Saturday of every month from 9-noon. One of our faves! It’s on the left side of the building walking in. Each child gets a wooden kit. They provide child height tables, hammers, garbages, and paint so you are provided with everything you need. It’s free and they get to bring something they made home! My younger kids like the painting a ton so we have to make sure we set aside enough time to let them paint their birdhouse or whatever it is! They offer kid aprons so you don’t get paint on clothes, as well as project completion pin. Sometimes they have popcorn on Saturdays at Home Depot as well.

There is a Reel Theatre in Pocatello! Tuesdays and Wednesdays are 2.00 movie tickets, 2.00 drinks, and 2.00 popcorn. It plays movies that have just come out on DVD. A very affordable and fun experience! Our kids ages 5 and up seem to make it through a movie well.

Deleta Skating is a very fun place to take you family. I remember going to birthday parties and field trips there. My daughter just went to a party there and I saw they now have balance helps made from PVC pipe for little kids-kind of like a walker on wheels! Haha! Very cool and makes it possible with small-children-families to participate.

Outer limits has been a great addition to Pocatello! It’s an arcade game place that also has lazer tag and a mini blue-light golf course inside. The arcade games spit out tickets depending on how well you play the game. You can redeem your tickets for prizes when you’re all done! When we go as a family we spend 20 bucks on the token coins and split the coins between 4 cups for our kids. There are games for all age levels! Our 3 year old son likes to sit on the race car game and motorcycle without any tokens. His next favorite game that is popular with all of our kids is the game where you spear fish. The average game takes 3 tokens but they range from 1-4 tokens per game. Each child comes out with over 150 tickets to spend on little toys or candy at the end. Outer limits has food like pizza and things but we don’t ever eat there so I can’t give any insight on that part of it! I know they do offer party packages and that outside food is not allowed unless you purchase a party package. Once our kids are older I’m sure the 20 dollars won’t seem like enough becasue then our toddlers will want to participate in the games more.

I have to mention the new splash pad in Chubbuck at Stuart Park. I didn’t think we would ever get one! It’s a super fun activity and you don’t have to worry about the kids drowning because the fountains on the pad just shoot out and go down the drains in the cement pad. There aren’t many places to sit or have shade so I would suggest to bring a chair, hats, sunscreen, and towels! There is a bathroom pretty close to the splash pad which is a plus! One tip I have for tiny walkers or  crawlers  is to have them wear something like these leg protector warmers . If your child is not potty trained they ask you put swim diapers on them while they play.

If you are up to going to a good outdoor pool, Ross Park Swimming Pool is the place to be. It has a little kid area with water that gets about a foot deep and for older kids it has a water slide, lilly pads, a tide pool, etc. You can get a family pass there if swimming is your family’s thing! My kids still don’t know how to swim so the free splash pad at Stuart Park is our safest option unless Daddy can come with us!

Zoo Idaho is right across the street from Ross Park Swimming Pool and is pretty fun to stroll around but it’s definitely not the best zoo I’ve been to and has a ton of hills so keep that in mind in your preparations to go! My favorite part is when the peacocks spread their tails to show off, or when the trumpeter swan is around-it really does sound like a trumpet! My kids say they like the bear the best.

About a week after school gets out, the district starts summer lunch at parks around town. Free summer sack lunches at the park are served to kids ages 1-18. They must be eaten at the park and adults are not allowed to eat any part of a child’s meal but can be purchased for 3-4.00. My cuties love to eat at the park and play with other kids on the toys (and I love not having to make them lunch haha)! It does have its drawbacks with having to find shoes for everyone and if the park is more than a block or two away we are using the gas money to drive there, so we don’t go 100 percent of the time. BUT the option is SUPER nice and I really missed the program when we moved out of state.

I’m not sure if it’s because I grew up here, but my husband and I always felt a huge pull every year to come back for the Southeastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot. I’ve never been to one that I liked better, and we’ve lived a lot of places. You may have to pay for parking and pay to get in but just being able to look at all the animals undergoing competition, the activities, and booths they have is so memorable! Always a great time! Our kids look forward to riding the ponies every year as well as the other rides, and my husband and I look forward to the food! Try to look at the schedule and see what days and times they are having the best free activities so you can get the best bang for your entrance ticket!

Pocatello has a Costco. Their carts hold two cuties instead of one (BONUS)! I have specific things I buy there which saves us a lot of money. They have free samples of an assortment of things starting at noon every day and their gas is always the cheapest in town, along with the best return policy of 2 years satisfaction guaranteed. I haven’t even mentioned the food court yet! You can get a mouth watering 18” pizza for just 10 bucks and it’s really good, you guys! They also sell hot dogs and frozen yogurt for super cheap so it makes a great date or family pizza night. Yes, you can call ahead to order the pizza or order it there and walk around the store while you wait the 15 min. They discontinued their photo center-it’s only online now, but the best rates and our only choice for prints.

Arctic Circle is a great place for kiddie dipped ice cream cones that are only 20 cents each. Our oldest could eat a regular cone, but the others waste half of theirs. I can get five mini dipped cones for just a dollar! That is less than the price of one regular-size non-dipped cone so I LOVE this deal.  Another option is to get a regular ice cream cone with their kiddie ones so I can give them “refills” from the big one as long as they save their little waffle cone.

This is a college community which means there are a ton of options on campus! The student union building (everyone calls it the sub) is the source of awesome cheap bowling and pool! Awesome family night or date night. They also have a bingo night every month when school is in session which is free to students but only 5.00 for anyone else to get in! The prizes are awesome and the atmosphere is super fun! It’s better to go as a couple or with kids who are able to shout out there own bingo with gusto since it’s a rule you have to yell out your own bingo. My 8 year old could totally do it.

One silly thing we love about Pocatello is that a siren goes off in the distance at 12:30. I’ve heard it’s the lunch siren for simplot but I never confirmed that. Our kids and I call it the “ghost of 12:30”. We hear it a lot in the summer at the free park lunches. I find it hilarious when my kids hear it and start dancing around squealing about “the ghost of 12:30!” (yes, they know it’s just pretend haha)

The newest thing around here is the Portneuf Wellness complex. It’s got a small sandy beach with a large pond you can fish at. It has bike/walking trails and play structures! There are soccer fields, tennis courts, and basketball shooting areas. We see people flying kites there, etc.

There is a small hike you can do that starts on ISU campus and goes up to the pillars at the top of the hill. Our kids call it “The hike to the ruins”, and it ends with a great view. It is an awesome little hike in the middle of town!

I’ll post these for now and add to it and add to it as more awesome thrifty things come along. I hope this post makes you feel excited to be in Pocatello. Make it a great day!

 

Jexi

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Why Do Freezer Meals?

Making freezer meals is one tactic I use to stretch our food budget and save me time…but not in the way you might think. Let me share with you the way I use freezer meals and why it works better for me!

When you think of making freezer meals you probably think of getting some recipes together that look good, taking a shopping list to the store to buy all of the ingredients, and then prepping and freezing multiple family dinners at home in a few hours. This is kind of backwards to how I do it. I like it more simple and natural. I already make meals I know our family will eat, and it is really hard for me to set out 3 hours of time just to “meal prep”which can turn into 6 hours with my kids around and possibly food going bad on the counter with me trying to get it all done at once.

SO, the way I use freezer meals is quite simple. When I am making a dinner I try to make 3-4 times the amount I normally would. This way I have 2-3 extra heatable, healthy meals I can stick in gallon bags in my freezer. This only works if I have enough of the ingredients, right? I am always looking at the store for good deals on the foods we already buy so I can do this once in a while. I look at the ads and I know which store usually has the cheapest prices on the staples we buy. For example, I go to Costco for the best price on lean ground turkey. If I spot it for cheaper at Smith’s one day on clearance, though, I will swipe it up because I know it’s potential for a healthy frugal meal is limitless in sloppy joes, chilli, tacos, and I can even make my own “turkey burgers” with it.

There’s no point in buying food that’s an awesome deal just to have it go bad, right? That’s like throwing money away because you’ll end up throwing the food away. Sometimes I buy a lot of something that’s an awesome deal, thinking we will be able to eat it in time (like bell peppers) but it isn’t getting used up like I thought. When this happens, I prep the food into a more usable form and freeze it. For example I would chop or slice up the bell peppers and freeze them in quart bags so I can just throw them into an omelet, use them in my sloppy joes, or toss them in with the fajita meat. It saves the food from going bad AND makes an easier meal for me when I do use it. Foods like cottage cheese can be frozen if it’s going bad but the texture changes once frozen so you can only really use it in recipes where it gets cooked like making crockpot lasagna or pan manicotti later. However, it’s easier to use if it’s measured out before frozen so you don’t have to thaw a whole bag. If my crockpot sloppy joe recipe calls for 1.5 cups of cottage cheese, I’ll freeze it in 1.5 cup increments.

My goal with a family of 6 and a food budget set in stone is to stretch my money and save time as much as possible while keeping healthy food a priority. Freezer meals are time-savers as you get the ingredients out once, chop anything you need to at one time, and only do dishes once. By saving time they save you money, because we ALL realize too late that we haven’t planned dinner and we reach for expensive fast food or unhealthy processed stuff like macaroni and cheese. Dinners made from scratch are always cheaper and healthier. Another benefit is that if you want to help someone who had surgery, etc. you are empowered to be able to do it without too much sacrifice or extra funds.

You of course can do meals in aluminum pans or disposable containers, etc. but I’ve found that freezer gallon bags work the best for us. They are cheaper than aluminum pans, can be formed into shapes that fit in your freezer, and can be cut off if needed to put a meal in the crockpot or into a glass pan to bake, etc. You also can’t microwave an aluminum pan if for some reason you wanted to!

Freezer meals are best used within 6 months so keep track of what’s in your freezer! I usually dig around and see what I have in mine every month so I can compile a list of meals we need to eat first. The more airtight a container is the better to prevent freezer burn.

If you decide to make a bunch of freezer meals of a new recipe, I recommend making only one or two meals of it first so you can see the feedback your cuties and husband have to the meal before you buy a ton of ingredients and get stuck with eating it over and over! Also, make sure you have enough freezer space for all of the meals you will be making.

The recipes that tend to freeze the best for me are:

Chilli

Sloppy Joe Meat(see recipe below)

Spaghetti/lasagna sauce

Sour cream enchiladas

Fajitas or taco meat

Creamy chicken over rice (rice actually freezes decently well if you want to prep ahead of time but I would use it within 3 months)

Soups and stews (my favorite is curry!)

One hangup I have is remembering to thaw the night before. 4-6 hours is the normally recommended time for a thawed freezer meal. If you forget to thaw NO BIGGIE. Just put it in for 6-8 hours and make sure you can stir it at least once during the day. if it’s a frozen casserole and you forget to thaw the night before, the tip I usually follow is to add 50% more baking time (example 1.5-2 hours if thawed time is 1 hour) and lower the normal temp 25 degrees to avoid burning the edges.

One awesome idea I love is putting smoothie ingredients into freezer bags for quick, healthy breakfasts. I have never tried this but plan to VERY soon since my husband’s weight loss competition and I will do a post on how it goes. Here are a few of my most used freezer meals. I hope this post has gotten ideas flowing for you and been helpful in some way. Make it a great day, friend!

Jexi

 

Creamy chicken over rice

-3 lbs raw chicken breast

-1 pkg cream cheese (neufchatel is an excellent healthier substitute found right next to the cream cheese, looks and tastes exactly the same)

-3 chicken bouillon cubes

-1 can cream of chicken soup

-4 Tbs melted butter (or flavorless coconut oil)

Put all ingredients in freezer bag. When ready to use, dump in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over cooked brown rice. Delicious!

 

Sour cream enchiladas

-3 cups shredded chicken (you can cook and shred yourself or use canned)

-3 cups Monterey Jack OR pepper jack cheese, shredded (if you don’t have these you can do mozzarella cheese as long as you do have the green chillies on hand)

-8 flour tortillas, taco size (100% whole wheat for a healthy version)

-3 Tbs butter, melted (can substitute with flavorless coconut oil)

-4 oz can green chilies (optional if using pepper jack cheese since it already has chillies in it)

-2 cups sour cream (AWESOME healthy substitute is Fage plain yogurt, 2% fat)

Mix chicken and cheese, spoon into tortillas and roll shut. Place in pan or freezer bag. Mix melted butter, green chilies, sour cream together and pour over top. Thaw overnight, Bake 350 20-30 min.

 

Sloppy joes

-4 lbs ground beef (can substitute up to half with ground turkey which is healthier and usually cheaper. I found the healthiest cheapest version in my town at Costco. The flavor and texture of the sloppy joe is different if you substitute more than half the beef.)

-1 diced bell pepper

-1 med onion

-1 can tomato sauce

-2 cans condensed tomato soup, undiluted

-1 cup packed brown sugar, you could substitute with some honey for healthier version

-¼ c ketsup

-3 T Worcestershire sauce OR bbq sauce

-1 T mustard

1 ½ tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

Cook beef, diced onions, diced bell pepper in pan and drain. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Put in freezer bags to eat later, or put into crockpot on low for 4 hours to eat today. To cook freezer meal, remove bag and put meat mixture into crockpot, cook low 6-7 hours.

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Is Amazon Prime Membership Worth The Cost?

I love my Amazon Prime Membership because it saves me time and money BUT I know it is not financially practical for everyone! Here are some questions to ask yourself if you are considering one.

Do you live far away from family or have small children? If you do, Prime membership gives you free 2-day shipping, and not just to your address. You can have it shipped wherever for gifts at birthdays, Christmas, mother’s day, etc. so you would save money there. I buy stuff for my family all the time after comparing prices at Walmart, Home Depot, etc. I know it will show up in 2 business days and that I don’t have to go to a handful of stores with my kids to get a few things. This TOTALLY ROCKS when it comes to getting my own kids their gifts. I don’t have to lose out on spending time with my husband so I can go gift shopping while he watches the kiddos. I don’t have to hire a babysitter to go shopping!

Is it difficult to get out and go clothes shopping? People who say yes may be like me with small kids-can you picture me trying on clothes while my toddlers are crawling under the stall door?! Or maybe people say yes to this question because of a health problem. I recently discovered that Amazon has awesome clothing with not only free shipping whey you buy but FREE RETURNS on a lot of sizes and styles. This means if you try it on and it doesn’t fit right, isn’t the color you expected, or you plain just don’t like it, you can ship it back for FREE as long as you just tried it on, it hasn’t been washed, and it still has the tags on. I have loved ordering jewelry, scarves, leggings, boots, dresses, shirts, pants, EVERYTHING-knowing it’s free to me to return and I can try it on at home. To return an Amazon item, go into your orders online, choose the item you want to return, and they will email you a free shipping label. I print out the label and use the same package the item was sent in to return it. If you can drop it off at a UPS store free AWESOME. If you want someone to pick it up at your house they charge 1.00-3.00 for that option.

Do you wish you had access to more educational television? It’s irritating when my kids waste their screen time on entertaining shows that teach nothing or worse, teach that violence or calling names is a normal way to handle situations. Amazon Prime Members get access to Prime shows that our kids LOVE including Fireman Sam (teaches about safety), Daniel Tiger (teaches about how to handle feelings and different situations), Super Why (teaches about letters and reading), and Tumbleleaf and Stinky and Dirty both teach about figuring out ideas and answers. There are also many, many shows for adults. I love this bonus to our family with Prime and I feel like it saves us money on rentals and movie purchases.

Do you love to read new material? This for me personally is one I answer no to, at least on Amazon. Right now I don’t really have time for luxury reading as my day is full of necessary articles I look up on different aspects of raising my kids, nutrition stuff that is interesting to me to research and write about, etc. BUT my mother and sister-in law ABSOLUTELY LOVE this part of Amazon Prime, that gives them access to probably thousands of books on their kindle for FREE.

Do you love listening to music or having pre-selected stations that fit your style? Music is one of my biggest loves in life. I love to dance to it, sing to it, and drive with the radio on. Amazon has put together free playlists, commercial free, for every genre or type of music you could want. I like listening to country and high-beat, dance and exercise music.

The one thing I love most about Amazon is FREE TO EVERYONE, and that is……the reviews! From experience, I never purchase a product if it’s review on Amazon is less than 4-stars. I love reviewing the products I have purchased on Amazon to help others as well.

Would you like to be notified when a product drops in price? This is yet another free-bee to anyone, not just Prime Members. Amazon items are constantly changing prices, and they have a great system where you can “save for later” the items in your cart you think are too expensive at the moment or you just can’t afford yet. I must have a hundred things in my “save for later” cart. Whenever I log in I can go to my cart and click the alert box telling me prices have changed to view.

Do you like AMAZING customer service? Also free! Amazon has a 30-day return policy on most things, and I’ve had to call customer service twice in the last 4 years with stellar people waiting to help meet my needs and make me happy again! For example, one time I purchased a cell phone case for my husband to protect his phone at work (screen kept cracking) but the phone was NOT there in the given amount of time. I called customer service who apologized profusely, refunded my money for the phone case even though it showed it had already shipped, and put a ten dollar CREDIT to my account as well so I could get on and get a different case for free. The first case never did show up and the lady on the phone said that they were taking the seller of the case off of Amazon because of the complaints they had.

So let’s go over the financial decision of getting that Prime Membership. Free two-day shipping to ANY address in the United States, Free Prime Shows, Free Music, Free Prime Books, and free returns for Prime members on thousands of clothing items. Maybe you have family around, time to go clothes shopping by yourself, you use Pandora for free music, and you get books off of ebay or thrift stores. Maybe even if you do live far from family you could bring them gifts when you go visit, cutting the need for shipping  at all! To be honest, Amazon Prime is worth it to me even now that we have moved back into town where family is. I love getting packages at my door so I can try on clothes, and I love purchasing gifts for my kids with it. You decide whether it would save you money and time or if it would be worth it to you!

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How can YOU make money as a stay at home parent?

Great ideas that bring in a small amount of income for me include:

Buy items at yard sales to sell on craigslist. The best advice I ever read about this one is to buy what you personally know is an awesome deal. For me that means kid stuff (I have no knowledge of antiques, baseball cards, etc.) If I can snag a double stroller at a yard sale for ten bucks, chances are I could sell it from craigslist for double that. BOOM ten bucks income for the time to write a craigslist post and snap a few pictures. I don’t like selling things on ebay because it requires me to drive to the post office with my kiddos to mail it in a timely manner, so it’s not worth it to me. Another thing I have knowledge about is lawn mowers. If I see a good lawn mower at a yard sale that looks like an easy fix I may fix it, and sell it on craigslist. What do YOU know the value of, that you could buy and sell?

Watch other kids in your home! It’s illegal to be a full time caregiver without proper licensing, etc. but babysitting does not require a license. This means you can advertise on craigslist about being a last-minute, back-up, emergency, or random hours babysitter. The law states that you need to be licensed to be the caregiver if you are on a set schedule, but if you are a back-up that is not the case and it’s nice to make some extra money without having to commit to doing it every day all day. If someone sees my craigslist ad and calls, I can say absolutely if I have no time commitments and my kids are healthy. I say I am not available if my kids have sport stuff, doctor appointments, etc.. I really wish someone had told me this option a long time ago!

One possibility is cleaning houses on your own schedule. I haven’t personally tried this yet but it would probably work best in the summer. This is because I can get one of the young women in my community to watch my children for 5-6.00/hr while I go make 10-20/hr doing an awesome organization or cleaning job for somebody else. I will update this with my success or failure!

You can also clean offices at night. This allows my husband to watch the kids instead of a daycare. Cleaning offices has by far been the most income per hour that I have done. I started cleaning my husband’s small place of work on the weekend for a few hours and now clean a little bit larger office three evenings a week. I worked for a cleaning company going every weeknight for three hours a night and it was too much for me to do long term. I was able to stick it out through an entire pregnancy up until one week before my 5th was born. I just thought of him as my little work partner 🙂

Recycle aluminum. I remember doing this growing up and my kids used to pick up cans from our apartment parking lot to recycle before we moved to our house. Unfortunately (or not) for us, we don’t drink soda too often and hardly get any cans to recycle for money to make it worth the drive-but maybe this would be a good idea for your situation! Just google a recycle place near you and see if they pay money for certain items.

Yard/bake sale. I regularly declutter and dejunk my house so all the stuff I decide is not worth the space in our house gets put in the yard sale pile/shelf in our garage. I read a great article a few months ago that talked about making the most out of your yard sale through doing a bake sale at the same time. Growing up I usually made big rice krispy treats and sold out at 50 cents each. Make sure your signs are simple and easy to follow. Some people around here set them up the night before so they don’t have it to worry about in the morning.

What else can you do? Maybe you are an animal lover and can advertise feeding and walking dogs while people are on vacation-I’m sure you’re kids would love to do it with you!

Hey how about starting a blog? I don’t expect that I will be getting any income from this blog, but I love writing these posts and I use them as resources myself because I can’t remember everything. It makes me happy knowing that my sharing of these posts may be useful to someone.

PLEASE COMMENT below with any other ideas! Do you make stuff to sell?  How do you make a little extra? We would love you to share!

Make it a great day!

Jexi

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Price Caps

Today I’d like to talk about price caps-what they are and why food budget success depends on them!

A price cap is a the highest set price you allow yourself to spend on a specific item. For example, my price cap on grapes is 1.98/lb. I refuse to spend a penny more on grapes than 1.98/lb. because if they are over that amount they probably aren’t in season which means they will be poorer quality. Also, a price cap protects your food budget from overspending on one item so you will still be able to afford enough food with the budget you have. My price cap for apples is 99 cents. One of my favorite apples is fuji-I’m not a fan of red delicious and neither is my husband so when Fuji apples hit less than a dollar, my kids break out the peanut butter! Having set price caps makes it easier to walk away when the item is prices over your budget.

Depending on your budget you can adjust your price caps. To me, 1.98/lb for grapes is pretty generous because when they are in season the common sale prices are 99 cents/lb to 1.49/lb. my price cap for grapes is higher than the lowest prices because my little kids love grapes and they are easy to put in a baggie on the go or bring to church as a snack. HOWEVER, if money is tighter it doesn’t matter how convenient grapes are or how much my kids like them-my price cap on any produce would be .99/lb. which usually means we would stick to apples, bananas, and oranges most of the time. My cap on bell peppers is .99/each but at the store thy are an amazing 57 cents! I know that during the winter bell peppers hike up to 1.89 each so when they are in season for such a great price I buy a bag stuffed full so that when I get home I can slice them up for fajitas or dice them up for sloppy joes or omelets, enchiladas, etc. I use quart freezer bags to put them in and freeze them-chopping them all up at once saves me a bus load of time when dinner preparations come around. I Wash them all at once get out the cutting board once and wash one knife. Walah! My kids inherited their love of fresh bell peppers from their father. I eat them raw only because they are good for me- my kids think I love them! On the other hand, I absolutely love cooked bell peppers! I think they make a pizza and I absolutely LOVE fajitas! Yum I think my mouth just started to water… ANYWAYS, oh yeah-price caps! I don’t have a paper with all of them written down, they are just in my head but I should probably write the list down someday for my kids-when I went to college I didn’t know what was a good deal and a bad deal and sometimes my mom forgot too because she just bought stuff once a year at case lot sales!

Here is an example of why price caps are a good idea:

Scenario 1: You go to the store because you want to make guacamole for game night with friends. You have ten bucks in your pocket. Unfortunately avacodos are 1.49 each at the moment and you know you will need five of them to mash and get the amount you need for the group. Set on guacamole though, you pick five avacodos, get a small onion at .49/lb. , 2 limes at .20 each, and 2 tomatoes which you notice are a very good price at .88/lb. You pick up a bag of chips for 2 dollars. Your total comes to 10.37 plus tax equals 10.99, more than you have. You decide you need to make a smaller batch to afford it and take out 1 avacodo, bringing your total down to 9.41. You happily checkout because you get to make guacamole and secretly hope some people their don’t like it or aren’t that hungry because you have to make a smaller amount.

Scenario 2: You go to the store because you want to make guacamole for game night. You see that avacodos are 1.49 each and immediately know that’s not gonna happen because your price cap on avacodos is .99 each. Looking around for another idea you see that tomatoes are a great deal at .88/lb. Maybe you can make salsa instead?! You grab 8 tomatoes, 2 small onions at .49/lb., one lime at .20 each, a bunch of cilantro at .88/bunch, and a bag of chips for 2 dollars. You don’t want spicy salsa but you do like the flavor that peppers add so you go get a can of fire grilled chillies, mild for .52. Your total comes to 6.58 plus tax is 6.98. You remember the kids were out of toothpaste last night and had to use Mom and dads “spicy” toothpaste so you swing over and grab a new kids toothpaste for 2.29. Your total is now 9.40. You leave happy knowing that you stayed within your budget and there will be plenty of salsa for everyone-plus the kids will be excited to brush their teeth tonight!

Important price caps off the top of my head:

ground beef 93/7 -3.99/lb.

Chicken breast -1.98/lb.

canned veges- .50

Butter- 2.50/lb

cucumbers- .59/each

Milk- 1.99/gal

Gummies- .13/pouch

cereal- .16/ounce

The only exception to my price caps is if an item is requested by the birthday boy or girl for their special day.

One of the greatest quotes of all time:

“Make it do, or do without.”

Learn to really think about ways to save money, or use what you have and not spend anything at all. Do you really need it or just want it? If you really do need it, can you use what you have to make it or make something that would suit its purpose? Hanging up pictures and decorations after we move is such a chore to me because I need to get out the ladder with little kids around, carry a hammer and  nails. The only hammer we have is this huge long one and I always think to myself I should just go out and get a small travel size hammer I can fit in my pocket and I would have a lot more motivation to get these pictures up! I tried using a wrench one time, and then it hit me-why couldnt I just use a large smooth flat rock-just like the one the kids kept bringing in the house from outside! That rock is now allowed inside the house.

Take time to sit and think things through. Sometimes I think that is why fasting is so effective for us. We focus on one or two issues, and we don’t eat. Every time we feel a hunger pain we think of what we are fasting for and come up with a solution from our brain and the spirit a lot of times because we are taking time to focus and think about the dilemma.

 

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The best gifts for kids

The first gift I get my own kids and nieces and nephews is always Dear Zoo. It is an AMAZING lift-the flap board book that no child can only read once. My cuties want to read this with me over and over and it’s one that doesn’t get annoying to me. It has a cute, short story about a boy who writes to the zoo to send him a pet but it takes them a few tries to get it right! Simple pages, fun flaps, and now it’s available as a board book-growing up we had this book and it was just regular paper. Cheap price tag for an AMAZING gift.

 

 

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What’s the big deal about Costco?

Shortly after our move to Nampa, my husband convinced me to get a Costco membership, though I was reluctant about it. The thought of having to pay a fee to be able to spend MORE money there was ridiculous! Well after 3 years of being a member, here is why I absolutely LOVE Costco and recommend it!

The return policy

I purchased a probiotic at Costco a year ago and just returned it without a receipt. I wasn’t satisfied with the results and had forgotten to return it for forever. You don’t need a receipt-every time you make a purchase at Costco you are required to show your membership card and they record everything you purchase through that member number. I have confidence that no matter what I buy at Costco, it comes with a money-back guarantee. It’s great to purchase Christmas presents there because no matter how far in advance I make the purchase, I know that if Christmas morning comes and those socks don’t fit-or maybe we found a better deal last minute shopping-I simply return the item to cheerful customer service. I return food sometimes for cash back without my receipt, whether it’s because it went bad before the expiration or we just didn’t like it when we tried it(most of the food was still there upon return). The return policy gives me confidence in Costco’s products and saves me money we would have lost had we not been able to return it at other stores.

The only exception to their never ending return policy is electronics. But folks it is still 90 Days for electronics at Costco! If you were to go to Walmart or Best Buy and purchase a laptop or a phone, the return policy would be 15 days. That’s Costco’s return policy of 3 months against other policies of 2 weeks! Amazing! I really wish someone would have told me that cell phones have a return policy of 90 days at Costco. We would have been able to save over 700 dollars this year from our horrendous experience with Sprint and Best Buy when we purchased a phone for my husband that had problems after the 2 weeks was up! For some reason I thought Costco only carried Verizon phones but they offer phones from all major carriers with STELLAR customer service to get you set up with no pressure towards any certain carrier. Amazons policy on electronics is the same as any item you buy-30 days, and I would definitely rather purchase electronics at a local store with a longer return window than online with a shorter one! (sorry, Amazon, even though I love you!)

High quality, low price

I do my research to make sure I am getting the best prices and for a large part, Costco wins. Especially if you load up on an item when a Costco coupon comes out for it, that just adds to the savings and makes it a flaming hot deal! They have consistently cheaper prices on eggs, milk, garbage bags, formula, soap, diapers, wipes, electronics, cereal, and many more items! I will share the full list of which items I buy where in a future post. Just don’t go buying a huge pack of romaine lettuce if you can’t eat it all before it goes bad-take that into consideration because it’s wasted money when you throw food out, no matter how cheap you got it!

The Gas

In the first year of our membership, we saved enough money in gas alone to cover the basic annual fee. We fill up every time we go to Costco so we aren’t wasting gas and time(=$) just to drive there to spend less per gallon. Also what if I told you-you can get 4% cash back on gas there? Read on to see how!

4% back on purchases at Costco

When you pay for a basic membership you get the savings and return policy Costco has to offer! However, if you upgrade to the executive membership you will get 2% back on Costco purchases. If you also sign up for the AMAZING Costco citibank credit card you will get an ADDITIONAL 2% back on Costco purchases, equaling 4% back in your pocket whenever you buy stuff at Costco. Other benefits include 3% back on trips purchased through Costcotravel and on restaurant and hotel rooms purchases anywhere. The 4% cash back with the credit card is good anywhere labeled as a gas station, so not just Costco gas pumps. Our family purchase the annual executive membership for 110.00 and at the years end got mailed an 83.00 certificate to Costco through our executive membership as well as a 250.00 certificate mailed to us from the credit card which can be used at Costco or to redeem for cash just take it to the customer service! That means we got 333.00 back after spending 110.00 on the membership which pays for the membership and gives us 223.00 additional. Keep in mind that this doesn’t take into effect how much we SAVED by purchasing great products for cheaper than anywhere around.

You can try a Coscto membership with a money back guarantee

This means that if you want to give Costco a try and see how much money you might save or what products they offer throughout the year, you can pay for the basic membership and get your money back after 11 months if you are unsatisfied. What an offer!

Costco carts have 2 seats for strapping in kids side by side

Having 4 kids makes shopping anywhere difficult, so if you’re telling me that Costco has carts which fit 2 kids safely strapped in, I am all over it!

The pizza in their food court is huge, delicous, and a steal!

My husband LOVES PIZZA, and if he has gone without pizza for over a week, you can bet he is bringing it up a lot. THANK YOU SO MUCH COSTCO for having a food court that offers amazing pizza that I can call ahead and order for CHEAP. Or I can order a full pizza when I get there, shop, and pick it up when I’m done! OR I can just pick up a few pizza slices that I don’t have to order ahead because they have slices ready right there! One huge pizza is 10 bucks people. It’s probably a tiny bit bigger than the family size pizzas at Papa Murphey’s. Costco offers cheese, combo, and pepperoni. I wish they offered pineapple but they don’t. They do have salad, hot dogs(1.50 each for a foot long with a soda? wow)

The samples

My kids love the samples at Costco and it creates a bribe for me to keep them behaving as we shop! The other reason I like samples is the reason they are there-to try a product I wouldn’t normally buy because I’m not sure about it. Sometimes I DO buy the product, but 9 times out of 10 we just say thank you and move along, either because I still don’t think it’s worth the money or it’s something we already buy and we were just tasting it at the store for fun!

In conclusion, I love Costco and highly recommend you try it to see if you would save money on products you already buy!

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