The Nespys' Guide to Frugal Weddings!

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Okay, so I guess I've always been a cheapskate money-conscious, as when Nespy and I got married, I've got to admit that we got away with a really nice wedding for a relatively small amount. Now, I can't tell you truly how much we paid, as he paid for some, I paid for some, and our moms paid for some...and I guess it really would not matter, as it was 6-1/2 years ago and prices would no longer be any good.

However, I will share how we kept costs down: (by the way...this was entered in a contest about frugal wedding at Moolanomy. Check it out!)

Ceremony Location: We got married at a church at member cost = $0. We did not have to rent the facility, but only reserve it. This saved a LOT of money, as we looked around at having a location wedding in several different locations.

Ties with a Minister: Okay, so not everyone could pull this off, but my uncle was the minister we used, and he offered his services as our wedding gift. Woohoo...no payment to the pastor!

Invitations and Programs: Easy. Print it yourself on cardstock. We did this with a really nice font. We were able to get 2 invitations per sheet and 2 programs (cut lengthwise). To the programs we punched two holes on top and tied a ribbon through them. They were very nice and super simple to do.

Photography: This was purely by referral via some family friends who had recently had a wedding and used a relatively obscure photographer with whom they were really pleased. There were some points of the pictures that could have been slightly better, but overall, the photos were great.

Videography: Also, not something that everyone could pull off, but we did pretty good on this. All of the "good ones" were booked. I was in a panic. Then I remembered--the church had a video crew (the service was on a local channel weekly). I contact them and they sent a skeleton crew (3 people) and they were paid $50 a piece for approximately 1 hour of their time. Easy money for them, cheap video production for us. And it looked good, as they were trained!

Dress: I did have to pay for my dress, although many people buy second-hand, use their mom;s or have one made inexpensively. However, I did buy it during a popular wedding dress carrier's annual (or is it semi-annual) sale, so I got $99 off the total cost and ended up paying right around $500 for it.

Alterations: Okay, I was lucky here too. The only alterations needed were to add the loop and button to bustle the train for the reception. Otherwise it fit.

Bride's Accessories: I pondered veils, gloves, shoes, etc...the works. I never found a veil that I thought would work with my hair and the dress, so I opted for small bobby pins that had satin roses on them scattered throughout my hair. I did not go for gloves, as I could not decide what I would want to do to accommodate the ring ceremony. Shoes were a simple ballet flat, as I wanted to be comfortable and shorter than Nespy in pictures (we're the same height flat footed).

Wedding Party Attire: The bridesmaids dresses were discounted through the same popular carrier (10% off total) since I purchased my dress and accessories there. They worn regular navy shoes, as they were covered by their dresses. Nespy got a bulk discount for tux rentals. The flower girls' and ring bearer's dresses (female ring bearer) were handmade and smocked by my aunt. She also made the ring bearer's pillow. The bridesmaids were simple pearl necklaces and earrings (which all of them owned or borrowed).

Bridesmaids Hair & Makeup: Blessed is my maid-of-honor. She worked at a salon for years. She did the hair of the whole wedding party and my make-up. That was her gift, as she was a struggling college student who had no money to buy a gift. That was better than a gift!

Decorations: Use someone (in the family if possible) that knows what they are doing. One of my friends got married and they rented Greek-looking columns and then purchased simple round glass to top them and placed various sizes of pillar candles on top surrounded by ivy. It was GORGEOUS! For us...my aunt was great at working with tulle and candles with greenery in the windows. Same aunt that made the dresses. Also, same aunt that was the...

Director/Coordinator: She loves doing it and considered it her gift to us. Woohoo! No payment there either!

Flowers: Okay, so this is where we actually spent money. I wanted what I wanted and had a very talented florist in my pocket who could make it happen. This is where we spent the most money. However, we kept costs down by using only greenery in the decor. You can also keep costs down by using seasonal flowers...especially found locally. If you want flowers that are only grown in Asia at a time of the year that is 6-months away from your wedding, expect to pay serious money to have your dreams fulfilled.

Reception: Time and location are everything here. We had our reception at the reception hall of the church...so once again, there was no cost to rent...just reserve. We had an afternoon wedding (2:00), so we only served finger foods. No sit-down dinner needed. Also, we had a Southern Baptist wedding, so no alcohol allowed (and therefore none to buy). The food was delicious, the cakes were beautiful. Which brings me to my next item...

Catering: I was the organist at this church, so I knew many people in the music program. One of those ladies happened to cater. She was wonderful! She made exactly what we requested in our cakes and did a fabulous job with all of the finger foods. Because this was not her main source of income, she was less expensive than a professional cater...and just as good! When she brought the bill, I thought it was either for the cakes OR the food; I was wrong...it was for both!

See the cute flowers in my hair? I think they cost like $4.00. =)

Music: We did pay the standard fee for musicians for the time and location for the ceremony. However, like I said...it was a Baptist wedding, so no dancing, therefore no DJ or band or musician costs for the ceremony.

Reception Decor: One item that we used was photographs. Some of Nespy as he grew up. Some of me as I grew up. Some of us dating. Some of our engagement photos. We had them scattered throughout and since we were surrounded by our loved ones, they enjoyed reminiscing as well through the photos. Yes, some were slightly embarrassing (we all have that awkward stage, right?), but there is nothing to hide, as they all knew us well. I know some people make centerpieces (think same people who do some decorating themselves) and then send them home with people. That's awesome...they have a beautiful centerpiece and you don't have 25 beautiful centerpieces to dispose of! Also, there has been the trend of using disposable cameras on the tables so your guests can capture the event for you. Nothing like having free photography. And out of several hundred photos, you're bound to get SOME good ones, right (although I guess this could be costly to develop).

Honeymoon: We also had a frugal first-night-as-married suite. Nespy was in the hospitality industry at that time as well, so we were able to stay in a very popular named suite for a fraction of typical cost. After the first night, we left on our cruise. Yes, cruises can be expensive and I will not lie and tell you we were terribly cheap during our cruise, but they can be a VERY cost-effective way to take a week long vacation to exotic locations. =) Go in the off-season. We went in late October/early November to the Caribbean, so it was less expensive than going during the summer (although you might have to deal with hurricanes!).

Memories: We never had my flowers (yellow roses) officially preserved. However, they are currently stored in our china cabinet. Perfectly dried. Leave them along out of the elements for a while, and they will likely take care of themselves. The dress...never preserved. It sits in its original bag in our closet. It is not yellow, does not smell, it not faded. It is perfect still. Maybe it won't stay that way. Maybe I should not even keep it. However, for now, it pleases me.


So, that's how we did it. Please consider any and all of these if you are going to be planning an upcoming event soon. You may can use some or all of them--I just hope that our experience can help someone else out!

And, by the way...this gives me an excuse to post my wedding pics from (what seems like) long ago!

Living in the Dark

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And I'm quite proud to note that this post was listed as one of Kyle's (from Rather Be Shopping) favorites! Thanks!

Tuesday late afternoon there was a big boo-boo in our neighborhood. A landscaping company was digging holes to plant full-size palm trees and hit a power line. Yep. All of our lines are underground, so I’m not sure if they didn’t call before digging or what, but the result was this.

Our entire neighborhood including everything from us to about 1-1/2 miles toward the interstate were out of power. That included a Food Lion, CVS, Zaxby’s and another neighborhood. Wow.

Anyway...our need to find something to do until time for bed inspired the follow ideas of things to do when your power goes off:

Daylight:
Picnic lunch/dinner: Pull out the sandwich supplies, throw a blanket on the ground and have a family picnic! You won't be able to cook, so this is the perfect opportunity to use up that lunch meat and snack-type items. Plus, if you have anything like potato salad in the fridge, you might want to use it up in case the power is out a long time and you could end of losing it anyway.

Grill out: Same idea--if you have meat that could possibly go bad, grill that stuff out on the grill. I LOVE grilled food and this is the perfect excuse to fire yours up!

Play with sidewalk chalk: Seriously fun for all ages. The toddlers can simply scribble (or demand you draw for them like Little Nespy does) and the older ones can create entire sidewalk murals. It is a chance to explore your artistic side.

Outdoor games: You know--hopscotch, jump rope, Mother-May-I, Redlight-Greenlight, and other childhood wonders. Hula-hoop or play hide-and-seek. Whatever tickles the fancy. Fun for the whole family. Let mom and dad see if they can still do somersaults or cartwheels. Just have fun!

Ride bicycles: Once again this could be good for the whole family to spend time together (great exercise too!)

Take a walk: If you need to pile little ones up in the stroller, do it. Just take a walk. It doesn't need to be "exercise" (like a power walk) but just time to explore nature and enjoy some fresh air.

Gardening: If you have a garden or flowers you tend to, this takes away all excuses of inside chores that need to be done (laundry, cooking, vacuuming, etc) and gives you reason to get some outside work done.

Play in the water hose or kiddie pool: Once again, fun for everyone...and enough to really cool you off if you live in the deep south and are pining for your lost AC!

Jigsaw Puzzles: Although there are some similar items to be listed under the "darkness" category, these are not easy in the dark, so I will list them as "daylight" activities.

Photo Credit: phostezel

Darkness:
Picnic/campfire: If you live outside the city limits and outside of a neighborhood, you can get away with a campfire. Roast hot dogs, marshmallows, make smores, tell ghost stories. Do whatever makes the evening fun.

Read by flashlight: Okay you could easily do this in the daylight, but it's easier and better to take advantage of outside time while it is daylight, so I'm sticking this in the darkness category. You can read as a family or send each member to their own area to just have some quiet time alone with a good book.

Puzzles/Crosswords: We love crosswords, logic puzzles, acrostics, etc in our home, so this gives us time to step away from all of the electronic gadgets and just take some time to think and stretch our brains.

Make music: Easily done by candlelight, your family can make music together. Sing, dance, play instruments, bang on kitchen items, whatever suits you. Just have a great time!

Board/Card games: Another favorite around our house. Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders, Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, Life, whatever you like. Card games could be heart/spades/rook, old maid, go fish, canasta, rummy, phase 10. You could even play dominoes. The possibilities here are almost endless!

Non-board/card games: You know...charades, twenty questions...delve back into the back of your brain to recall those games from childhood to share with your kids. Or let them suggest some that they have learned at school or church.

Talk: Although this will most likely happen while all of these other things are going on, just spend time together getting to know each other better. That's right...we can often lose touch with people that live in the same house as us just because we're all so busy. Talk about your day, your dreams, your friends, anything that comes to mind.

So there is a list of things that you can do around your own house if you are out of power for a while. You could, of course, always go somewhere else...like a park, the library, or whatever you like...but I wanted to keep it contained to your own home.

Come to think of it...this stuff sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe we should do this voluntarily more often!

What other recommendations do you have?

Teaching Children About Money - Part 2 - Giving

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This is part of a series regarding teaching children about money. To read Part 1 - Credit, click here.

There is another part of money management that I feel should be a big part of everyone's budget. It is called charitable giving. We personally call it tithing, but regardless of what it is called, it should be giving back just a portion (10% or more) of the blessings that you have received.

I will not go into the whys of tithing, but just offer that I believe that if you give, it will come back to bless you. Even when you don't think you have it to give, if you make the effort to make it a priority in your budget, God will remember that.

So, the basic tithe is 10% as taught Biblically. The best way to instill this in a child is to make it automatic from a very early age. Teach them from the beginning that small portion is always for giving and should not be used personally. The more of a habit it is from a young age, the more easily it will be when they are truly introduced to our (mostly) selfish and materialistic society.

How do you teach this?

First, designate a piggy bank that will be solely for this purpose. Make it a craft project one day, explaining all along what its purpose will be. Here are some suggestions: DLTK, Associated Content, Enchanted Learning, My Craftbook, HGTV, Squigly's, or Kaboose. Or just google it and find one you like...the possibilities are almost endless. Or if you want to teach an envelope system early, you can use one of these as well, although you will most probably be dealing with small change at first.

Next give them money divided into tenths. For instance, if they earn a dollar (via allowance, chores, gifts, etc), give it to them in dimes and teach them that when they have 10 of something, one is always put aside for giving.

Teach them that if they want to give any more above that tenth that it too will be honored, but that is based solely on what God wants them to do. If you are not a Christian, you can choose to put a secular twist on this, but since I am writing it from my point of view (which happens to be a Christian one), that is the way I would word it.

The next opportunity you have to give this money (church service or time to donate to charity, as it applies), make sure they are an active part of contributing their portion. Don't take it out and do it for them, but make sure they know where their money is going.

Soon, they will not even think twice and such donations!

Continue here to Part 3 - Saving

Big No-Nos with Fabric Softeners

Today is "What DOESN'T Work for Me" over at Rocks in My Dryer and I wanted to share a bit of information with you that I was privy to at a young age, but you may not have been.

I learned a laundry tip while I was in college because of my major (although it is called Polymer and Fiber Engineering now, it was called Textile Engineering when I was there). Here's the tip:

Never EVER use fabric softener (liquid or sheet) on towels of any kind or on infants' sleepwear.

Here is why:

* The same chemical reactions that occur to make your clothes soft and cozy also leave a coating of the softener on the towels and reduce their absorbency. Your towels, dish-drying cloths, bath cloths, etc lose that wonderful ability to absorb water and you really would just do better rolling around on the carpet in your bedroom to dry off. So anything that you own that you want to be absorbent, do not use fabric softeners on it.

*Most infant sleepwear is made to be flame-retardant. The chemicals in softeners kill this ability, making your child's sleepwear as flame-happy as all of the other consumables in your house. The same goes for infant bedding (sheets, comforters, etc), which also is made to resist (NOT PREVENT) burning. This is a good reason not to buy infant sleepwear second-hand if this is a concern to you. Also...older children's pjs are not required to be flame-retardant, so you're safe there.

So, although I do not do this, I know that it DOESN'T work for me. Since I know that it doesn't work for you either, I thought I would tell you. ;)

Update: By the way...obviously great minds think alike, because Heather had this post for her What Doesn't Work for Me post as well!

What’s the Deal with CFLs?

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So we are all working to go more green, right (or at least we’ve all been told that)? Well, we have CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) in our house everywhere that is feasible to use in the place of an incandescent bulb. That saves energy, right? Then I started seeing all of this information about mercury content in these bulbs. So I decided to investigate. Here is the lowdown (most of these are direct quotes from the below cited sources, but I have added my own “color” commentary in italics):

1.) The sales pitch. If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, it would save enough energy to light more than three million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars annually. Wow. That sounds convincing. Great job pitching it to us!

2.) Breakdown of the Benefits. CFLs, when compared with standard incandescent bulbs, offer many benefits. First, they help save energy and money. They use 2/3 less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs, and last up to 10 times longer. Replacing a 60-watt incandescent with a 13-watt CFL can save you at least $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb. Second, CFLs offer convenience, because they last longer, and come in different sizes and shapes to fit almost any fixture. In addition, CFLs produce about 70% less heat than standard incandescent bulbs, so they're safer to operate and can help cut energy costs associated with home cooling. When shopping, always look for ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs. There you go…back it up with numbers. We like those. We don’t bother to check them, as they look convincing enough.

3.) Leave them on? Compact fluorescent light bulbs work best if they are left on for over 15 minutes each time they are turned on. These types of lamps can take up to 3 minutes to warm-up. Warm-up will probably not be noticeable from a user stand point, but the lamp needs to warm-up in order to reach the point of most efficient operation. Frequently switching them on and off will shorten the life of the product. If the life of the lamp is shortened significantly, you will not reap the financial benefits (includes energy & life of lamp), that are common to CFLs. Isn’t this contradictory to what my mom told me about turning off the lights?

4.) Mercury? You mean the highly toxic stuff? CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing - an average of 5 milligrams (roughly equivalent to the tip of a ball-point pen). Mercury is an essential, irreplaceable element in CFLs and is what allows the bulb to be an efficient light source. By comparison, older home thermometers contain 500 milligrams of mercury and many manual thermostats contain up to 3000 milligrams. It would take between 100 and 600 CFLs to equal those amounts. Well, you’re trying to back it up with numbers again. Nice attempt, but let me think about this a minute…

5.) Safe as long as they don’t break. CFLs are safe to use in your home. No mercury is released when the bulbs are in use and they pose no danger to you or your family when used properly. However, CFLs are made of glass tubing and can break if dropped or roughly handled. Be careful when removing the lamp from its packaging, installing it, or replacing it. Always screw and unscrew the lamp by its base, and never forcefully twist the CFL into a light socket by its tubes. Used CFLs should be disposed of properly, learn how to properly dispose. How many broken bulbs have you encountered in your life? Do you think that number will be reduced just having by a different type of bulb?

6.) Okay… Because there is such a small amount of mercury in CFLs, your greatest risk if a bulb breaks is getting cut from glass shards. Research indicates that there is no immediate health risk to you or your family should a bulb break and it's cleaned up properly. Ahh...if it is cleaned up properly. There’s the loophole for them.

7.) So what if they have mercury? Mercury is probably best-known for its effects on the nervous system. It can also damage the kidneys and liver, and in sufficient quantities can cause death. When sufficient mercury accumulates in a landfill, it can be emitted into the air and water in the form of vaporous methyl-mercury. From there, it can easily get into the food chain.Yeah…we’ve already been warned about the possibility of mercury exposure in tuna. I’ve heard differing stories about how the levels in CFLs compare. However, don’t you think that if people do not dispose of these properly, that the exposure will only become greater? I mean, won’t the tuna then get more in their system because there is more being disposed of (improperly)?

8.) Ummm…should I be worried now? Most consumers, even those already using the CFLs, do not realize the long-term dangers the bulbs pose to the environment and the health of human beings. (Gulp…)

9.) How do we get rid of them? EPA recommends that consumers take advantage of available local recycling options for compact fluorescent light bulbs. EPA is working with CFL manufacturers and major U.S. retailers to expand recycling and disposal options. Consumers can contact their local municipal solid waste agency directly, or go to http://www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling or http://www.earth911.org/ to identify local recycling options. If your state permits you to put used or broken CFLs in the garbage, seal the bulb in two plastic bags and put it into the outside trash, or other protected outside location, for the next normal trash collection. CFLs should not be disposed of in an incinerator. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs have a warranty. If the bulb has failed within the warranty period, look at the CFL base to find the manufacturer’s name. Visit the manufacturer’s web site to find the customer service contact information to inquire about a refund or replacement. Okay…I can do that.

10.) Say what? Many waste centers that are set up to accept CFL recycling currently have only one collection day per year. So are the same people pushing us to buy them also pushing them to recycle more frequently?

11.) IKEA Cares! Bring your used mercury containing light bulbs to the IKEA store for free disposal. Since...CFL bulbs contain a small amount of mercury, they should not be simply tossed out. IKEA offers the perfect solution: a ‘Free Take Back’ program offering recycle bins in all IKEA stores. Or for lamp disposal information for your state, please go to http://www.lamprecycle.org/to obtain more information. I hope you have one locally, because I don’t!

Things The Salesperson Doesn’t Tell You:
--Compact fluorescent light bulbs may generally be used in enclosed fixtures as long as the enclosed fixture is not recessed. Totally enclosed recessed fixtures (for example, a ceiling can light with a cover over the bulb) create temperatures that are too high to allow the use of a compact fluorescent bulb.

--Generally it is not recommended to use CFLs in vibrating environments. Vibration can cause the electronics in the CFL to fail. There is one CFL bulb (FLE11) that is available for use in a ceiling fan. Check the package for this application.

--Dimmable CFLs are available for lights using a dimmer switch, but check the package; not all CFLs can be used on dimmer switches. Using a regular CFL with a dimmer can shorten the bulb life span. Anything else you’d like to share?

--Most CFLs can be used with a timer, however some timers have parts which are incompatible with CFLs; to check your timer, consult the timer package or manufacturer. Using an incompatible timer can shorten the life of a CFL bulb. So is there anywhere other than a lamp that I CAN use them?

--CFLs can be used outdoors, but should be covered or shaded from the elements. Low temperatures may reduce light levels - check the package label to see if the bulb is suited for outdoor use. But…there’s always a “but” isn’t there?


So there’s the scoop. I really am not trying to persuade or dissuade you from using them. We have some, and they have saved a lot of money for us, and they work in many places as well. However, I just think it is fair if we are all well-educated before we jump on the bandwagons.

Hooray for informed decision-making!

Information cited (and often directly quoted) from:
http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting/ask_us/faq_compact.htm
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf
http://www.eartheasy.com/live_energyeff_lighting.htm
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55948
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/social_environmental/environment.html

Mother's Day Gifts Series - Part 5 of 5

This is the final posting in this series. To follow from the beginning, stop reading now, and click here.

Rounding out my list...


9.)Cards
What Mother's Day would be complete without a card.

Standard: Go out and buy a card that fits who she really is and what she really means to you and the kids. Let the kids pick out their own if they are old enough to really "get it." If you want to splurge on the musical ones or the ones that look handmade or the funny ones--just make sure it is appropriate for her and your relationship.

Yes, I realize that there is no "inexpensive" listing...I'm not sure what the middle ground between standard and frugal is here...any suggestions?

Frugal: Make it. Yes...make it personalized and from the heart. If it is from the husband, write a poem, make her lay down and use that length of paper to write down everything you appreciate about her, write a goofy song for her, just write down on regular notebook paper how much you love her. Just write a love letter.

From the kids, check these out:
Lots of choices here
Cards
Cards
And more Cards
Handprint Heart

Also--have your kids do some of these activities (scroll down to the crafts) to present as presents! Wonderful, heart-felt, and super-inexpensive!


10.) Club of the Month:
This is something I discovered was quite popular (according to the internet) for Mother's Day (I have considered them for Christmas, but never for Mom's Day).

Standard: You can find something to suit anyone's fancy and have the gift keep giving year-round. It is a reminder throughout the year that she is special, but these are often quite pricey.

More Cost Efficient: Create your own by remembering (there's the catch) each month to grace your wife/mom with a gift that is personalized for her likes, fancies, or passions. It doesn't have to be expensive, but the thought will mean everything to her.

Super Inexpensive: Create a coupon book from hubby and one from the kids. They can include chores like vacuuming, cleaning baseboards, raking leaves, cooking dinner, grocery shopping, putting the baby to bed, getting up with baby in the night, super room cleaning, washing dishes, the possibilities are endless. The catch here is that the coupon(s) can be redeemed by mom at any time and there is no complaining one a coupon is visible.

Get some ideas for a book from here, here, or here.


And lastly--

What can top that? My secret confession. The non-frugal side of me wants something ridiculously useless and unfrugal and clutter-inducing. It is a figurine that I have had my eye on and I've decided that it is not a passing fad, as I look for this particular figurine anywhere Willow Creek is sold. It's precious to me and speaks volumes of how I feel about being a mommy. It represents a period in my son's life that I want to rush through and hold onto at the same time--but in the end, I know the wanting-to-hold-onto will win out. So if Nespy asks you what he or Little Nespy can get me, point him in this direction (but yes, I want him to think of anything else--although nothing else is really needed--so as not to steal his thunder!) ps--sold in many gift stores around the world, including Savannah =).

So Happy Shopping/Creating/Doing!

Photo credit: smiles4angels, stylecourt1

Mother's Day Gifts Series - Part 4 of 5

Click here for the beginning of the series...

Moving on to the next item...


7.) Dinner
Standard: A nice expensive dinner and a date night is always a nice getaway, but such outings can be expensive and if your wife is a tightwad money-conscious, she may not be able to enjoy the evening due to the extravagance. Here's some ideas to ease her stress

Money Saving: Look for coupons for Buy One, Get One meals or even have dinner at home and go our for dessert. Rent a movie that the family can enjoy or just one for the mom and dad while a neighbor keeps the kids. Sometimes just getting take-out (pizza or Chinese?) will help take the dinner burden off of mom for the night.


Totally Frugal: How about breakfast (made by the kids?) in bed. Or a movie night at home complete with homemade pizza (your kids know how to do that by now, right?) and a redbox $1 rental. Better yet--have dad and kids plan, shop for, and prepare all of the meals for one solid week. That takes all of the planning out of her hands and gives her a long break.


8.) Feed Her Hobby:
If her hobby is collecting knick-knacks, do NOT (I repeat...do NOT) feed this hobby. She needs to be stopped at all costs. However, you can help her out with some interests she may have whether or not she is already pursuing them or not.

Standard: Pay for her to take an adult education class, a cooking class (although be careful that this is not an insult in disguise), a cake-decorating class, guitar lessons, or whatever wonderful new hobby she would like to dive into. This can be a very personal and thoughtful gift.

Less Expensive: Buy items for her to help feed an existing hobby such as scrapbook supplies, gardening tools, fabric samples for her creations, new paints, an organizer (be sure this isn't an insult in disguise too!), cooking gadgets, or whatever will feed her fancy.

Frugal Choice: Homemade items as usual are always a hit with mom--
Kitchen Sink Pot
Easy Pin Cushion
Recipe Card Holder (3x5 or 4x6)
Recipe Cards
Business Card Holder
Bookmarks here or here
Jam/Jelly Jar Tags
Art Caddy
Alligator Sewing Kit
Garden Gloves
Plant Stakes

Or even look at having business cards printed for her for free for her craft passion that she's been wanting to create a business from (but might have been hesitant about). This shows you were thinking of her and encouraging her at the same time! Winner!


Come back tomorrow for the final installment...

Photo credit: melissss

Mother's Day Gifts Series - Part 3 of 5

Continuing (click here for the beginning of the series):


5.) Jewelry:
Standard: Have you noticed all of the jewelry ads on TV, in the paper, and on billboards lately? Jewelers know that this is typically a big jewelry day and are enticing you to buy something that tries to prove how you feel about the Mom in your life with sparklies and shinies. It works often. However, let me give you some alternatives.


Wallet-Friendly: Try finding something in an etsy shop that she would love (and support other moms in the process). In you want your gift to "give back" try one of these items from the Breast Cancer Site, which will donate proceeds from your purchase toward mammograms for less fortunate women (they are having an awesome pearl sale!)Or try one of these sites for some deals on beautiful pieces:
--Silver Jewelry Club
--Silver Jewelry

Even Friendlier to Your Wallet: Try your hand at some of these items:
--M-O-M bracelets
--Button Bracelet
--Ring and Bracelet craft
--Ribbon Bracelet
--Foam Mom Bracelet
--Crystal Clear Necklace


6.) Spa Treatment:

Standard: Seriously, who wouldn't enjoy this pampering experience. However, there are alternatives for those of us on a budget that will let her know that she is appreciated.


No Less Thoughtful: Buy her some bath sets or candles from somewhere like Bath and Body Works or Crabtree & Evelyn. Make sure that these are thought through and not the first item you see in the store. As long as she knows that you were thinking of her when you purchased it, you will be a hit.

From the Heart, Not the Wallet: Try out these homemade treats:
--Soaps
--Bath Bags
--Luxury in Lace
--Jeweled Votive Candle Holder
--More Soaps
--Candles
--More Candles
--Bath Salts
--Slipper Cookies (now there's a great end to a theme!)


Tune in tomorrow...same Nespy time, same Nespy channel. =)

Photo credit: semeasy

Mother's Day Gifts Series - Part 2 of 5

See this previous post for the intro to this series. Moving on...


3.) Family Photo Session:
Standard: I don't know any mom that wouldn't tear up with a nice framed photo of her family looking their best in a professionally taken and framed photo. However, this can get pricey and all moms know this. So instead of worrying her about the cost of such a gift, try out these other ideas!

Less Costly: Try making a photo book for her using a collection of photos. Make them recent. Make them from the first year of her children's lives. Make them a collection of her with her children. Whatever would mean the most to her. Check out Walgreen's (enter code MOMSDAY for 20% savings through May 3rd), CVS, Snapfish, and plenty of other photo sites for offers on photo books! If this does not appeal to you, try buying/making some keepsake photo boxes for storing all of those precious memories. And any mom can appreciate organization! Or try creating a professional-looking Mother's Story.

Frugal Alternatives: More homemade ideas:
--Organize those family photos into albums or boxes in an orderly manner (one that won't give her the impression that she needs to come behind you and do it over).
--Have the children create a "This is Your Life" series of drawings, writings, and artistic impressions and present them to her in the game-show type theme
--Home-Sweet-Home Photo Gallery
--Springtime Photo Frames
--Refrigerator Clips
--Various Frames
--Create refrigerator magnets of photos of your family (adhesive magnets + family photos)
--Update: And I just found out about this deal over at Bargain Shopper Lady. I had to edit my post to share it with you since it is such a great deal! Artscow is offering 400 free print credits & 1 free 8×8 custom cover photo book for signing up now! (You get 50 free per month for a period of four months.) This is possibly one of the best deals of the year!

4.) Pajamas/Loungewear:

Standard: There are some great ideas for purchases and nothing says "relax and take the day off" as a nice comfy pair of PJs. However, check out the following alternatives before running out and making that purchase.

Less Costly: Buy a regular sleep shirt and decorate with paint via the kids.

Frugal Fabulous:
--A Comfort Pillow
--Silky Sachets for that lingerie drawer
--Beauty Mask for sleeping/relaxing


Ideas #5 and #6 will be here tomorrow...

Photo credit: doc18

Mother's Day Gifts Series - Part 1 of 5

If you are visiting via the 151st edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance over at Alpha Consumer, please make yourself comfortable here in my little corner of Blogland. Feel free to comment, stay a while, and subscribe. =)


So, I was going to write an 11-part series on the 10 most popular Mother's Day gift ideas for this year, some less expensive alternatives and some downright frugal choices. I considered starting this on Wednesday the 30th, which would take us right up until Mother's Day itself. Then I realized that if anyone wanted to use these ideas, that really left no time to do any of them. Therefore, I am combining the posts into 5 parts consisting of 2 ideas each, with the last post being 2 gifts and packaging ideas. Hopefully this will leave some time to implement. Sorry for the long intro, but I felt it was necessary (I am not a woman of few words).


1.) Flowers:
Standard: What says "Mom" like flowers? To some people, nothing. However, these blooming beauties can be quite pricey and frankly, they typically die within days. So I am offering you alternatives.

Less Expensive: Gardening tools, seeds, seedlings, or perennials that can can be planted. And yes, plant it for her. Nothing says "Happy Mother's Day" like "here's another chore for you to do, but I bought it." Plant a tree in her honor. Buy her some seedlings or seeds to get started.

Frugal Gifts: Here are some great ideas I found. What is more wonderful than a handmade gift from the kids?

Photo flowers
Laundry Bottle Bouquet Holder
Flower Pot Recipe Holder
Pretty Painted Flower Pot
Coffee Filter Flowers
Finger-Print Flower Vase
Helping Hands
Bouquet in Hand


2.) Designer Handbag:
Standard: These are all the rage among some of my friends and co-workers. I'm not a designer-bag type of girl, but hey--to each his own, right? How about these alternatives?

Less Expensive: Check out discount stores like Target, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or departments stores that are having sales. You can find some really cute bags for great prices!

Downright Frugal: How about making some? Seriously...here are some ideas!
Almost No Sew Hip Make-Up Bag
Tiny Tote


Tune in tomorrow for more ideas!

Photo credit (in order of appearance): torontofotobug, Jungle Jim's International Market

Teaching Children About Money - Part 1 - Credit

If you are visiting via the Festival of Frugality 124 over at Frugal for Life, let me take a moment to welcome you. Please feel free to browse about and leave comments wherever you feel inspired. If you like what you find, you can subscribe via feed over in my right margin.


Let me start by telling you that I am under no circumstances an expert when it comes to saving money, being a parent, or (certainly) combining the two. Little Nespy is only 2-1/2, so I cannot personally say that this tip works on him. However, I think it is a pretty cool tool, and I would love to pass it along to you.

Now, why teach children about credit? It's inevitable that they will encounter it...and kids are getting offers for credit sooner and sooner. You don't even have to wait until they are in college and getting pounded with offers all over campus about all of the great things that they can buy with this magical tool called "credit." Buy now, pay later--it seems too good to be true. Well, it is and most of us adults know that. However, most of us learned it the hard way. So I'm going to present an idea of how to teach this concept to children to get them to really grasp how credit works and making decisions of purchases based on this reality.

I cannot take credit for this idea, as it was one from a friend, but she does not want to be mentioned either, so I will just call her "my friend" (clever, isn't it?).

So, her children receive an allowance. The amount is dependent on the child's age. The child also is limited to 1 hour of TV during the week and 1 hour on the weekend. They can choose to watch whatever they want (within reason), but they have to make that decision. When the children started begging for more TV privileges, they came to the agreement that the children would pay for additional TV time. For the little one who only got $1 a week, it was a quarter for an additional 30 minutes. They did limit how much extension the kids were given so they didn't spend all their money on TV time and become couch potatoes at the same time. The cost of additional TV time was proportionate to what the allowance was.

When the kids wanted to watch TV, but had used their money to buy some other treat, my friend saw this as an opportunity to teach them about credit. Within the confines of the amount of extended time allowed watching the tube, the kids could "buy" TV time with credit, which carried an additional 20% interest per day until it was paid for. So for the little one, who paid $0.25 per half hour. It costs an additional $0.05 per day until the debt was paid off. Once they were spending $0.50 or more for an item that should have only cost $0.25, reality set in and they began deciding that it was not often worth the extra money. Sometime a really good show with a quick pay-off period was considered worth it, but it really started them thinking about their purchases and evaluating if the shows were worth the extra investment.

I think this is AWESOME! What do you think?

Continue here to Part 2 - Giving
Continue here to Part 3 - Saving
Continue here to Part 4 - Spending

Photo credit: qwurky

Does God Want Me to Be a Loaf?

As you read this (if it is Sunday, that is), the Nespys will be on their way back home to Savannah from Orlando. I sure we will have had a wonderful time visiting close friends and reluctant to leave them, as we don't get to see them often. In the meantime, as we travel down the highway, speeding no doubt, and burning some expensive gasoline, I will leave you this to read:

Today I will drift from my usual subject matter. Today I will ponder in writing what I should do. If you don't want to read about a matter that I have been dealing with in my spiritual life, feel free to skip today's post, as tomorrow I will be back on my usual topic.

I really feel that God has been leading me to teach or lead. Not as a profession, mind you, but just in some capacity. The obvious lead was at church to lead women's groups or such--and it may lead to that as well or in the end, but right now I'm wondering if I should start another blog that would be a teaching/learning tool for both me and readers. Frequently when I am reading my Bible or just going through my life experiences, I think of things that I would like to share, but I have no one to share them with (in a teaching type environment). It is nothing that really fits the context of this blog, but creating a new one is a real possibility. Nespy would probably think I was crazy, as he (and I sometimes) think this one is becoming a bit of an obsession from time to time.

However, would you be interested in reading it (yes, I realize the topics would really influence if you read or stayed around)? Do you think God would ask me to write a blog? I am really nobody and have no training to teach His Word. However, that is really not an argument, as He is FREQUENTLY calling the lowly to teach and lead (shepherds as kings and fishermen as the foundation of Christianity?!). Then I think that I would be scared to death to do it. Wouldn't I be responsible for everything that I typed and how it might influence others? Would my faults get in the way of His glory? It would be so easy to let my shortcomings get in the way.

"How could I make a difference?" I asked Him one day. Then I thought I heard Him speak to me through a Biblical account that I learned as a child in Sunday School and have heard about over and over again throughout my life.

There are two occasions where Jesus fed huge crowds with fishes and loaves. You can see Jesus reference both in Mark 8:19-20. Jesus took just a meal for a few and fed thousands upon thousands with it. He took a little and provided for many with it. That's how He works. He takes a little and multiplies it for His glory. He fed those who were hungry. Is he calling me to be His instrument to do the same? Is He calling me to be a loaf?

Photo credit: in the shadow of za'ha'dum

Clean Pet (and Other) Stains

Best product for carpet stain fighting? For me, hands down it is Nature's Miracle!

This God-send first showed up at our house as a Christmas gift from my mom-in-law to her granddog. Seriously, this is the best product on the market for cleaning up organic stains (of any source) and even many unidentified-but-most-likely-not-organic ones.

It is pet and child friendly, so no fears there. It removes stains and odors very easily. You do have to work a little harder for set-in stains, but it still always gets them up for me! A great bonus--it works on any type of fabric item (upholstery, clothes, rugs, carpet, etc)--just check for colorfastness first it warns (I've never had a problem).

A 32-oz bottle lasted us almost 3 years. Now we have 2 bottles because shipping was the same for 2 as for 1 and that should easily get us to around 2013 of clean-ups!

Love, love, love this stuff. I bought ours from Care-a-Lot Pets, but you can find it elsewhere by visiting the product site.

Today's post was brought to you in conjunction with Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks in My Dryer.

Works for Me - Toddler Hand Washing

Today's post will be brought to you in honor of Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks in My Dryer. Today's entry from me is a parenting hack that I read somewhere while learning about potty training. I am not taking credit for coming up with this, so if you know where this came from, please let me know so I can give proper credit. Maybe it's a tried-and-true method that all experienced moms know about, but it was new to me when our potty-training journey began and it works with Little Nespy.

In order to stress the important of thorough hand washing following the potty experience, Mr. Nespy and I began the training process with Little Nespy by having him go through ALL of the motions, even if there was no activity at the potty. We'd sit, flush, and then wash hands. Most toddlers are not going to spend the time to wash hands as well as they should on their own, so this was the tip I am giving you:

Have the little one sing the ABCs while washing. Of course at first you will most likely have to sing it for them while rubbing their hands together (front and back), but they will quickly catch on...and Little Nespy thought this was always fun. We wash the whole time we're going through the alphabet and when we get to the "Now I know my ABCs" part, we turn off the water and dry hands. It serves a twofold purpose: firstly it makes sure that we don't just get a quick rinse. Secondly he learned his alphabet song about 3 months before he was 2-1/2. Hooray! Clean and educational!

10 Things You Should Never Buy Used (and Three You Should Never Sell)

Welcome visitors that are passing through with the Festival of Frugality or the Money Hacks Carnival and dropping in from MSN's Moneycentral blog by Donna Freedman! Please make yourself at home here in Mrs. Nespy's World!

Look--a real post today. Yea, me! Yes, I am a thrifty/frugal shopper who loves finding deals at consignment or thrift stores. However, we really should draw a line sometimes. I once saw an article entitled "10 Things You Should Never Buy Used" on MSN Money (it's probably still there if you want to look), and I wanted to create something like that for my readers. Some of the ones listed in that article are here, but additional research has been done to include some others and some addition information (not really into plagiarism, you know). Here it goes:

Mrs. Nespy’s list of 10 Things You Should NEVER buy Used

1.) Car seat/booster seat – Unless you know the people who are the previous owners (and by know, I mean well—like they are your sister or something), never buy a vehicle safety device for your child second-hand. If these seats are in accidents—even minor fender-benders—they can be rendered unsafe. Without knowledge of the driving history of the previous owners, you do not want to risk using a car seat that would not protect your child in the event of an accident.
What to do? The new ones are more expensive, but this is one of the wisest investments you can make for your family. If you have to buy second-hand, please only buy from someone you know well and would trust with your child’s life—because that is what you’re doing. Even if you do this, please check with the NHTSA to make sure it has not been recalled (and therefore pulled from retailers’ shelves).
2.) Mattress – Okay, this one just seems gross to me. However, even if you can get past the concept, you really only should buy new mattresses. There are several health-related reasons for this including dust mites, bodily fluids (yes, it’s gross, but it is true), and bed bugs. Yes…I said it, bed bugs. What are they? They are not just part of a cute little rhyme you use when putting your children to bed. They are real live blood-sucking insects that live in mattresses. They were almost eradicated in the 1950s, but have been on the rise worldwide recently. Speculation is that the increase in world-wide travel has taken these creatures abroad and they are rampant in some places. Most places have regulations that either prohibit the sell of used mattresses or require tags that require markings noting that the mattress is not new. Same thing goes for refurbished mattresses, which are made with recycled mattress parts. That’s why that big annoying tag that says “all new material” is on your mattress. Make sure you have one.
What to do? If you can ALMOST afford new, haggle with the salespeople. This is one area where there is wiggle room for the sales staff, so see what you can do. However, it is true to say that not everyone can afford a brand new mattress. The best bet here is to contact a second-hand store that is under the eyes of the government (to assure they are following the laws), such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army, and purchase from there. They are required to have sanitized and thoroughly cleaned the mattresses…and they don’t accept items in terrible condition in the first place.
3.) Helmets – Same as with car seats, if these have been in an accident, it is best not to endanger your skull by putting it in there. And some internal, hidden damage could have occurred, so there is no guarantee that your self-inspection would catch any damage done to the shell. This goes for helmets of all types… motorcycle, bicycle, skating, etc.
What to do? Same as child seat…buy new or from someone that you literally trust your life with.
4.) Children’s shoes – Children’s feet are developing at an intense speed and are still very pliable. While it is uncomfortable to wear adult shoes that have been broken in by another person, it can be downright detrimental to the development of a child’s feet. Serious foot problems could result that would require corrective surgery later in life for that child. Please take the time to buy good, supportive shoes for your child—especially the ones that they will be wearing for an extended period of time. And never put hard-soled shoes on your infant. Infants really don’t need shoes until they are ready to walk, and then they need “walking shoes” designed to assist in the correct development of their tootsies. As long as it is not a safety issue, barefoot is always best, so if they are inside or you have a foot-friendly yard, let them run barefoot (or with socks indoors in the winter)

What to do? My advice is this—splurge on the pair(s) that they will wear regularly. For instance, our son has one pair of tennis shoes that he wears almost daily to school. Since he is wearing these for a total of over 12 hours a day, it is worth buying him good, supportive, new shoes that can take the shape of his little feet rather than forcing him to work with what someone else has worked in. I do use second-hand shoes from my sis-in-law but only those shoes that were seldom worn by her son and will be seldom worn by ours (like church shoes that he’ll only wear 2 hours max one day a week). Other than his one good pair, we do go for cheaper versions of others since they will not be worn much. Really, his long term health is worth at least a few more dollars.
5.) Bathing suits – Yeah. That’s just gross. My son is the only exception, as his are bleached heavily and he wears swim diapers under his, so there is no direct contact.
What to do? Splurge. They aren’t that expensive at Target.
6.) Skates – Just like shoes, above, even if you can get over the thoughts of what might have lurked between the toes of the previous owner and have heavily sanitized them as well, skates—if have been used for any length of time—will mold to the foot of the user and therefore, will never properly fit. They will then cause you much discomfort and possible actual foot damage.
What to do? Unless you really know what to look for, buy only from known sources who don’t skate, but really wanted to learn. If they gave up quickly, there is your opportunity.
7.) Make up – Yep, people sell their make-up on eBay, and do you know why? Because people buy make-up on eBay. No buyers = no sellers. So, even if they have only used it one time and decided it was the wrong shade, even if they have noted “sterilized for your safety” (yeah…explain to me exactly how they did that), don’t fall for it. You can get a number of diseases including pink eye, cold sores (yeah…that’s herpes, folks), nail fungus, skin-based staph infections, and even strep.
What to do? Have you noticed that there are a lot of websites out there (see the list of blogs I read) that tell you how to get some seriously cheap make-up at pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreen’s and Rite Aid? Look at other stores’ clearance shelf (I was able to stock up on some blush and eye shadow that I loved, but that was being retired once). Just two days ago I posted here about E.L.F.'s deals/prices. Keep your eyes open folks, as there are plenty of ways to get most of it inexpensively. Unless you like the type that you can only buy at a counter in a department store (sorry…totally foreign ground for me)…in the case that you can spend $38 on a tube of mascara, I’m guessing you probably aren’t searching eBay for make-up (or much of anything else).
8.) Hot Tubs – Seriously, people. Disgusting. Have you ever seen a set of jets properly cleaned out? It takes a LOT of chemicals and a LOT of work—more than most people are willing to invest (yeah…it’s easier to sell if than really clean it good). And who knows who/what has been sitting in that tub. Ughhh.
What to do? Buy brand new only or find something else to spend your money on. Even if it is family you want to buy from…you just don’t want to know them on that level.
9.) Plasma TVs – With the cost of these TVs, I can see what this could be appealing. However, due to old technology, you can easily get your hands on a set that has images burned into the screen. If you are buying an older model (which I’m guessing you are since someone is selling it), you might have a TV that was made before all of the kinks were worked out and plasmas were failing left and right. Without a store to return it to or a warranty to call on, you are out some big money.
What to do? Sit on that want. As technology advances, the cost of these will plummet eventually. Even last year’s model can be found at a huge discount already—especially when stores are trying to clear the way for the newest version. Like computers (which I am not adding to the list, but I will give them a quick reference here), the designers are working way too quickly to justify buying used and dealing with outdated technology.
10.) Certain car parts – Okay, I’ll admit, this one I know nothing about, but in my research for this post, I found a list of parts that could cause either some serious headache or a real safety hazard by purchasing used. I am throwing it in because although I don’t rebuild or fix cars, I can see why it would be appealing to buy second-hand parts. Since it could be a huge mistake, I am including it.

Bonus: Three Things to NEVER Sell

--Your Hard Drive – There are many people building computers out there who are just itching to get some spare parts. Looks like an easy buck, right? Well, a co-worker in our IT department was elaborating on all of the personal information that can be acquired from a hard drive—even one that has been “cleaned off”—by a person who is very skilled at finding this information. Same note—don’t ever let the guy who recovered the hard drive of your fried computer keep it to salvage parts. Even if he is completely honest and trustworthy, who knows what the people who buy it will be up to? We’ve made this mistake before. It’s now in the past, so I just hope it doesn’t come back to haunt us.

--Your hair* – Yeah, sounds weird, right? I was thinking about this while getting ready for work this morning and pondering over this post. It occurred to me that about 10 years ago, my hairdresser cut off a LOT of my hair and bagged it up because he thought he could sell it “for a wig or a weave or something” because it was healthy hair. Now, I ponder this—what if the person wearing that weave or wig committed some heinous crime and left my DNA behind at the crime scene? Far-fetched? Yeah, probably, but what if it happened? I could certainly prove that I’d been at work that day at that time, and by the way, I’ve never even BEEN to Saskatchewan, but I don’t even want the cops calling me.

--Drugs – It’s illegal. And just wrong. Get help. Seriously

*Note--Please know that this is said tongue-in-cheek. I know there are organizations such as Locks of Love that are wonderful ways to contribute to people who can use your healthy hair.

Photo credit: Pyzam

Saving Water--Works for Me!

I frequently read people's blogs who are participating in various carnivals, including Works for Me Wednesdays at Rocks in My Dryer. I have never participated until today, but I had an epiphany of sorts this past weekend and although it is very simplistic, I had never thought of it! I am assuming that if I have never thought of it, some of you might not have either, so I'm sharing. If this is obvious to you, please don't count me as dumb. =)

This weekend I was prepping to shave my legs. I don't like doing it in the shower because the shower is not conducive to this activity (it's big enough to shower in upright, but bending and posing to shave--not so much). Since it is not really large enough for this, not only is it uncomfortable, but I end up taking much longer showers than normal, thus wasting more water. I love bubble baths for relaxing, but don't want to use all of the water those require in order to shave every time the need arises (not to mention that it is completely gross to sit in that mess--not at all in theme with "relaxation" for my tub-time). So I typically shave by propping my leg up over the bowl of the sink and proceeding (is this getting too personal? sorry). This still wastes water because I have always left the water running for rinsing off the razor.

Here's my brilliant idea--I filled the bowl of the sink up about 1/3-1/2 full (it would depend on the size of your sink) with the stopper closed. Voila'! Now I have water that I can rinse my razor in, but I actually have less water in there than if I left it running continually. Does this seem weird/gross? Kinda' looks that way, but it is just shaving cream and shavings in there, which rinse nicely down. After I'm finished, I rinse and dry off the razor (it stays sharp longer if you don't air dry it) and put away.

So am I a complete idiot for never realizing this before now?

I need to lose weight

The Wonders of Salt

I am feeling completely unoriginal today, so I am passing an excerpt from an interesting article by Rachel Keller that I was reading earlier. For the complete article, click here.

31 Interesting Uses for Salt:
--A pinch of salt on top of citrus fruits brings out the fruit's crisp taste immediately.
--Place freshly peeled fruit in a salt water bath to prevent the fruit from browning.
--Try a dash of salt in warm milk for a relaxing beverage.
--A pinch of salt also improves the flavor of cocoa.
--Add a pinch of salt to coffee grounds before brewing. The salt enhances the true coffee flavor by removing some of the acid taste.
--Sea salt tends to make lettuce and other vegetables crisper.
--Wash spinach and other greens more easily by rinsing in salted water. Not only does the salt draw out the dirt, but it also kills any little critters that might be in your fresh organic lettuce or greens.
--To preserve milk or cream, add a pinch of salt to it. You can also add a pinch of salt to milk before freezing it.
--Do you have problems peeling the shells off hard boiled eggs? Try boiling the eggs in salted water. The salt water also helps a cracked egg stay in the shell while boiling.
--To test freshness in eggs, place an egg in a cup of water and add a couple teaspoons of table salt. A fresh egg will sink; a spoiled egg will float.
--Add a pinch of salt to cheese before placing in plastic wrap to prevent mold on cheese.
--A dash of salt in gelatin will help it set faster.
--Does something smell fishy? Dip a lemon wedge in salt and rub the item (hands, cutting board, counter, etc.) and rinse with water.
--If you drop a raw egg on the floor, pour salt on it and leave it for 20 minutes to make the cleanup easier.
--Did you burn something in the stove or oven? Salt can eliminate that burned food odor.
--Throw salt on fresh spills in your still-hot oven to aid the cleaning process when the oven is cool.
--Burned milk stains are very difficult to remove. Salt can make the job much easier. Wet the burned pan and sprinkle with salt. Wait about 10 minutes, then scrub the pan.
--Remove coffee or tea stains from cups by rubbing them with kosher salt.
--Salt is great for removing lipstick from glassware.
--You can even use table salt to remove stains in vases. Either rub the stain with salt or soak it in a strong salt solution.
--Add boiling water and three tablespoons salt to a casserole dish with stubborn, baked-on food in a casserole dish,. Let the dish stand until the water cools; then wash it as usual.
--Salt makes copper shiny. First, sprinkle the tarnished bottoms with salt. Then scour the stains away with a cloth dampened with vinegar. Rinse the pan, and wash as usual.
--Regularly pour hot, strongly salted water down the kitchen sink to remove odors.
--Hot salt water also prevents grease build up in sinks.
--Clean greasy iron pans by sprinkling about a teaspoon of salt in the pan. Wipe the pan out, and then wash as usual.
--Prevent grease splatters that can burn you or make a mess of your kitchen by adding a few dashes of salt to the pan before frying foods.
--If you have a grease fire, toss salt on it. (Never put water on a grease fire which can make the grease splatter and the fire spread.)
--Kneading or rolling dough can make a mess on counters. Sprinkle your countertop with salt, and neatly wipe away everything with a sponge.
--Mix half a cup of salt and baking soda to a gallon of water to wash away stains and odors inside your refrigerator.
--Cook food faster by adding a little salt to boiling water.
--Adding a pinch of salt to your cream or egg whites makes them whip more easily and faster and higher

Wow...I learned a lot with that, did you?

Photo credit: Swiped from American Feast Blog

Perspective

I am sick of gas prices. Here the prices are around $3.10 per gallon. I don't know anyone who is not complaining about gas prices. It is not practical for me to ride a bike, as is the case with most people I know. Although we have discussed getting a hybrid, I really hate to have a car payment now that we have been without one for almost 2 years!

However, yesterday I was slapped in the face with a bit of perspective on the situation. At work, we have some technicians in house to set up some equipment from Germany. They, like the equipment, are also German. They informed us yesterday at lunch that gas in Germany is approximately 10 euros/liter which is about $7.00/liter. Since there are almost 4 liters in a gallon, that is about $26.53/gallon. Wow.

A Tip for You College Kids

I learned in college that I was brilliant.

Being brought up in a family that never had all of the newest stuff (but never lacked anything important), I have always had a bit of a frugal mindset. Even when I went to college and was on my own for the first time, I didn’t really have a problem blowing money, because my parents had taught me how to be responsible with it. I was SHOCKED though the first trip I made to the bookstore. What was this? My calculus book* costs $120.00 USED?!?! Why?!

Of course I always purchased used books (unless forced to do otherwise), but I had a plan when reselling (this is where the brilliant part comes in). I would keep my books at the end of the semester instead of immediately reselling them. Then at the beginning of the next, I would scout the bookstores during “peak” book season (you know…the first day of class after everyone has gotten a syllabus and needs to get the books). I would go to the aisle of the book that I wanted to sell and find someone eye-balling that book. Having the book in my bookbag outside the store (we were required to check them at the door), I would sell it to them and we’d both make off like bandits! For example: A chemistry book costs $80 used. However, after I used it and tried to sell it back to the store, they would only give me $25 for it and then resell it for $80 again. That’s how they make money. However, if I sell it to the person in the aisle for $50 or $60…we both win! Don’t be obvious of course, as I doubt the store would appreciate you doing this. =) It worked like a charm, as I typically then had a lot of money to put toward the books that I then needed to buy for my classes.

So there is my “brilliant” advice for starving college students.

*By the way…that calculus book took me through 5 calculus classes, so it was really a bargain in the end.