Sooo I did pretty good last year with buying Christmas presents on sale and got some really good deals. I was pretty proud of myself! I used swagbucks (click the link to sign up if you're not already a member) for 8 months out of the year and used the FREE amazon.com gift cards to purchase most of the gifts. If you keep a watchful eye, you can get some really good deals on there!! Also, sign up for Amazon Mom (free) and you can get free 2-day shipping on a lot of products. Swagbucks is now offering printable coupons as well! You can earn 10SB for each coupon that gets used--just don't forget them at home like I usually do!!
Another program I've joined an would like to share with you is ebates.com!
It's simple to use! Anytime you are going to make a purchase online (and they've got TONS of stores to choose from) just go through your ebates page. A tracking ticket is created and once the order is confirmed, you will get a percentage back! I've got mine set up to go straight into my paypal account....very handy! They also have a $5 sign up bonus :)
Check them out and sign up here: My ebates link
Ebates is nice because it literally takes just a few seconds to log in (I use FB login to make it even quicker) then to pick the store you are going to purchase from. Some of my favorite stores on there are crocs.com (5% cash back), fabric.com (4% cash back), walmart.com (2% cash back) and maurices.com (4% cash back). I do the majority of my shopping online because we live in the boonies (it's about 2 hours to the nice mall) and I can't stand the holiday rush of people...Seriously?! Where do they all come from????
What are some ways you plan on saving money this year???
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Resurrecting the Blog!
Ok, so I'll admit, I've not been the best blogger recently. Fear not, all that is about to change!!
I've been crafting a lot lately and cooking/baking as usual. Now that Punky Brewster (Emily) is a bit older, she's been wanting to "help" a lot more.
Sooo I've been thinking, why not just blog about the stuff we are already doing. It'll encourage me to write more often, force me to remember some of the arts & craft activities from my preschool teaching days, find awesome ideas to share and maybe come up with a few of my own!
I'll share tonight a quick homemade potato chip recipe, that I've come up with.
You'll need:
5-6 large Russet Potatoes
Pampered Chef Ultimate Mandolin (came in my consultant kit and is VERY handy!)
Olive Oil
Dehydrated or fresh minced onions
Salt
Start by washing off the potatoes, with hot soapy water. Cut them in half, place on the Mandolin food holder and slice away. I like to use the crinkle blade for these. Pour olive oil into the pan you plan on using and heat on Med. heat. I prefer using a non-stick 10'' skillet. You'll want to have enough in there so that when you place the potatoes in, they're covered so amounts will vary depending on your pan size. As the oil is heating up, I put in the onions. Around here we rarely have fresh onions...they just go bad before I get around to using them. Dehydrated onions can be found on the spice aisle of your grocery store and while I first thought they reminded me of someone's clipped toenails, I've come to love using them. I usually throw in between 50-75 flakes...I've never actually counted but obviously if you want more onion flavor, you'll add more. Ok, time to put in the potatoes. I place them in one at a time, careful not to get any oil splashed back on me. Let them simmer for about 3-4 minutes and then I flip them using tongs. You'll see the potatoes start to turn a golden brown color and that's a good thing. Take them out when both sides are golden brown. I always put them straight onto a plate covered in paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Then just lightly salt them and enjoy! I find that I can't fry them up fast enough around here! They don't last long since they're so yummy but if you wanted to make some to enjoy at a later time, I would make sure to get them nice and dark so they don't turn mushy over time. You can also experiment with different spices. I've used garlic in with the onions before and it had a really good flavor.
Here' a pic of tonight's chips:
If you make these, let me know what you think!
I've been crafting a lot lately and cooking/baking as usual. Now that Punky Brewster (Emily) is a bit older, she's been wanting to "help" a lot more.
Sooo I've been thinking, why not just blog about the stuff we are already doing. It'll encourage me to write more often, force me to remember some of the arts & craft activities from my preschool teaching days, find awesome ideas to share and maybe come up with a few of my own!
I'll share tonight a quick homemade potato chip recipe, that I've come up with.
You'll need:
5-6 large Russet Potatoes
Pampered Chef Ultimate Mandolin (came in my consultant kit and is VERY handy!)
Olive Oil
Dehydrated or fresh minced onions
Salt
Start by washing off the potatoes, with hot soapy water. Cut them in half, place on the Mandolin food holder and slice away. I like to use the crinkle blade for these. Pour olive oil into the pan you plan on using and heat on Med. heat. I prefer using a non-stick 10'' skillet. You'll want to have enough in there so that when you place the potatoes in, they're covered so amounts will vary depending on your pan size. As the oil is heating up, I put in the onions. Around here we rarely have fresh onions...they just go bad before I get around to using them. Dehydrated onions can be found on the spice aisle of your grocery store and while I first thought they reminded me of someone's clipped toenails, I've come to love using them. I usually throw in between 50-75 flakes...I've never actually counted but obviously if you want more onion flavor, you'll add more. Ok, time to put in the potatoes. I place them in one at a time, careful not to get any oil splashed back on me. Let them simmer for about 3-4 minutes and then I flip them using tongs. You'll see the potatoes start to turn a golden brown color and that's a good thing. Take them out when both sides are golden brown. I always put them straight onto a plate covered in paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Then just lightly salt them and enjoy! I find that I can't fry them up fast enough around here! They don't last long since they're so yummy but if you wanted to make some to enjoy at a later time, I would make sure to get them nice and dark so they don't turn mushy over time. You can also experiment with different spices. I've used garlic in with the onions before and it had a really good flavor.
Here' a pic of tonight's chips:
If you make these, let me know what you think!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)