A few years ago when I started really couponing, I realized that my pantry was not working for me.  I was having a hard time finding items I had bought and things were getting lost in the abyss that was my pantry.  After reading some organization blogs and brainstorming with my husband (a master organizer) we decided on a plan.  First we wanted to do something relatively inexpensive and something that would help with the problem of not finding what I had just purchased.

We decided on a “bin method”  for organizing the different types of products.  We came up with a dozen different categories. Some categories such as baking needed more than one bin. You have to determine which bins will work best for your family – these are just the ones that we found worked best for us.

Categories:

• Breads
• Baking
• Pastas
• Grains & Rice
• Drinks
• Breakfasts
• Cereal
• Snacks (granola bars, fruit snacks, chips)
• Paper products
• Condiment extras
• Canning supplies
• Hot drinks (teas, coffee, cocoa)
• Poduce (potatoes, onions, etc – items  that don’t need refrigeration).

Bins:

Next we had to decide on our bins – we wanted something large enough to hold large cereal boxes, but it also had to fit on the shelf with no over hang. I toyed with the idea of making my own covered boxes using a method similar to these covered cardboard storage boxes.  But I didn’t have the same enough of the same sized boxes and I worried that pulling them out often might tear the cardboard.

I then thought of pretty baskets to organize the pantry but I needed about 15-20 bins so that was going to be way too expensive.

Finally we decided on Ikea’s plastic bins that come in red, white or royal blue.  They were cheap, sturdy and the perfect size. I looked on their website to find them, but they didn’t have them there; however we found them located in the store.  The price has gone up from $1.50 when I first purchased them to $1.99 now.  Still a great deal!

We used Rubbermaid bins from Walmart for our baking essentials – sugar, flour, brown sugar, etc.  I also really liked the basket look so we did get a few of those for certain items such as our recycling.  We also use a few drawer bins that we already had around the house for dog treats and our boys’ asthma supplies.

Labels:

After we purchased the storage items we needed,  I made labels on the computer – nothing fancy,  just a simple word document. I printed them off on cardstock and cut them out the same size. Using double stick tape we attached them to the bin.  Maybe one day I will make chalkboard tags or something cute like that but for now these work!

It has been two years since we first redid the pantry and I have to say – it is still working! Once a year,  I go through and wipe down the shelves and clean it out. I have changed a few items, added some more bins, replaced some labels, but I am super happy with it!  The best part is I can find the items I have purchased.  Knowing what you have and where it is located is really important when it comes to saving money. This way you can grow your stockpile in a reasonable way and make sure you are providing meals for your family with your stockpile.

************************************************************

Check out what we did with our toy room using the same Ikea baskets, too!

So, what are your best tips for organizing your pantry & your grocery stockpile? 

Make sure to check out contributor Sarah’s new Facebook page – Chickie Momma Crafts, where she sells some adorable handcrafted items such as hair bows/headbands, adorable baby booties, onesies, party supplies/birthday banners & much more!

Operation Pantry Makeover – Bin Method is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Since we didn’t have snow to build a snowman, we decided to make Rice Krispie snowmen! We had bought the ingredients a few days ago for Rice Krispie treats and were going to make them with our girls this week, but I thought it would be fun to do something different.

I got my inspiration from Marie at Make and Takes - she had posted a Snowman Rice Krispie idea over at Snackpicks. Ours are a bit different because I wanted my girls to have a smaller serving of the treat, but either way would be fun! You can also check out these Peppermint Rice Krispie Balls or these yummy Rice Krispie Snowmen.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal (or any puffed rice cereal)
• 4 cups of mini marshmallows (as you can see – I forgot to take pictures of the ingredients until after we made our treats!) *You could also substitute a jar of marshmallow creme for the mini marshmallows (7 oz)
• 3 tablespoons margarine or butter
• Powdered sugar
• Mini chocolate chips
• Pretzel sticks for arms
• Good & Plenty (for the nose)
• Pull-apart rope red licorice

(My husband brought the last 2 ingredients after work, so I don’t have pictures of those)

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan (or you could do this in the microwave too) over low heat.
2. Add the marshmallows (or marshmallow creme) & stir until completely melted.
3. Remove from heat and add the Rice Krispies. Stir until it’s fully coated
4. Once it’s all mixed in and cooled, you can start shaping your snowmen. We shaped them into balls, but made them fairly flat so we could decorate them.
5. Take each ball & roll it in a pan or bowl of powdered sugar
6. You can then use whatever ingredients you have on hand to decorate your snowmen – we happened to have mini chocolate chips, so they worked perfectly for us, but you could use raisins for the eyes, buttons, etc or even just frosting (the writable kind would work even better). Pretzel sticks were perfect for the arms. We used Good & Plenty candy for the nose & a pull-apart licorice rope for the scarf.

My girls decided to make snowballs for their creations & I also tried out a few snowflakes, although those were a bit harder to shape. Just a fun, little winter treat to enjoy with some hot cocoa on a cold winter day!

What are some of your favorite winter treats to make with kids? 

Snowman Rice Krispie Treats is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

I’ll be participating in another Live Chat in the Ebates Savvy Living BlogFrog community tomorrow, Thursday January 12th from 4 – 5pm pst. The chat is titled “New Year, New You”.   I’m excited to talk New Years’ goals as I’ve been working on several goals & I’d love to hear what goals you’ve been working on, too! Several of my blogging buddies – Jennie from Bargain Blessings, Sami from Sami Cone, & Arlene from Flour on my Face, will be joining us to chat as well.

This time, you won’t have to go anywhere to chat – you can chat right from Thrifty NW Mom as the Live Chat will be embedded right in this blog post. So, right at 4pm pst, you’ll be able to just start typing & participating from here – reading all the comments & responding to comments.  This feature is a new feature BlogFrog is trying out & it will hopefully be coming to more of the communities soon.

Live Chat in the Ebates Savvy Living Community – Thursday 4 – 5 pm pst is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

I’m lovin’ the deal on Mamasource today – Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover Bundle for just $45 + FREE shipping. If you’re new to Mamasource, you can use the coupon code: C11871 for an extra 15% off your order, making it just $38.25 shipped. If you’re already a Mamasource customer, you can use the code: JAN10 for an extra 10% off, making it just $40.50 shipped!

We love Dave Ramsey’s program. We took the Financial Peace University class last fall/winter & that is what enabled us to become debt-free in 2011 using his detailed plan for paying off debt. We’re now working on funding our emergency fund with 3-6 months expenses.  I just can’t recommend this budgeting program enough! We’re thinking of buying it just to have this information to share with friends & family.

Here’s what’s included in the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover Bundle: 

• The Total Money Makeover book and workbook
• 2 DVD Lessons from Financial Peace University
• The Money Answer Book
• Starter Envelope System  (this is the system we use for paying cash in the stores, restaurants, etc)
• Dave’s Budgeting Software

This is a fabulous price considering the starter bundle is $39 on the Dave Ramsey site + $25 for the budgeting software & another $5 shipping.

I actually first got interested in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University after reading The Total Money Makeover book (above) that friends shared with me. That got me interested & then my husband & I decided to take the full program at our church.  This is definitely not a replacement for taking the full program but it’s a great intro or refresher.

Thanks for the coupon codes, Family Frugal Fun!

Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover Bundle – As low as $38.25 Shipped! is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Photo Credit

Happy New Year to you all! Hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas & New Years & are ready to start this new year! We took things a bit slow here at Thrifty NW Mom the past few weeks to enjoy Christmas vacation with our families and hopefully you all enjoyed some quality time with your family, too. But, we’re ready to get back into the swing of things & continue to help you on your journey as you strive to save money for your family so you can live on less & give more!

I am so thankful for each & every one of you – you all are what makes Thrifty NW Mom unique in that we have such an amazing community here. I love the fact that you all are so eager to share your best money-saving tips, deals you’ve found or help others out with questions they have. Some of the best deals we’ve posted have been reader finds as well! So, keep on sharing on the blog or on the Thrifty NW Mom Facebook page! {I just looked tonight & we are approaching 25,000 Facebook Fans – I never imagined how much this site & community would grow!}

For 2012, here are some of the ideas I have brewing for what we will be featuring this year:

• Organization Ideas – as I mentioned earlier, I’m on an organization quick & will be sharing some of the ideas that work for us as well as ideas that I have found from other great sites. I’d love to feature your best organizational tips, too, so email us at thriftynwmom (at) gmail (dot) com if you have a great project or tip to share!
• Back to Basics - beginners guide to couponing – we’ll go back to the basics on a number of couponing strategies & answer your questions & common myths about couponing
• Budgeting / Getting out of debt – we became debt-free in 2011 so I will be sharing some tips of how we made this work & how we’re now working towards building a 3-6 month emergency fund
• Weekly Pinterest posts – I am absolutely in love with Pinterest & think there are just so many frugal & money-saving ideas you can find – along with some fun crafts, yummy recipes & more, so I’ll be sharing some of my favorite ideas found on Pinterest

Starting off the New Year in 2012 is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Office Depot has a new printable coupon for up to 5 FREE pounds of document shredding. This coupon does not expire until January 28, 2012. This is just in time for me as we work to declutter & organize our house. I’m sure I’m not alone in this!

My husband actually started a project a few days ago reorganizing our filing system using this system from Organizing Your Way and I’m excited to use this new system. We’re not totally done yet so I’ll show you pictures when we’re all done.

One of my big goals for this year is organization (as I’m sure is true for many of you), so I hope to share what works for us as we work to organize our household (and believe me, we are in desperate need of organization).

I’d also love to hear from those of you who have done some great organizational projects in your house and you’d like to share it with the rest of us. Feel free to email me at thriftynwmom (at) gmail (dot) com if you’d like to see your tip or project featured on Thrifty NW Mom.

In the meantime, check out my Pinterest board for some awesome organizational inspiration – there are just so many wonderful ideas on Pinterest for organizing every room in your house!

Office Depot – Five FREE pounds of Document Shredding is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

******************

Ing Direct is back with an after- Christmas bonus, in case you missed the big Black Friday promotion that they offered in November.  Right now, you can make $50 just by opening a Ing Electric Orange Checking Account and making 3 purchases or payments.  After you’ve made 3 transactions within 45 days, then you will receive a $50 bonus. Simple as that! I signed up for this bank several years ago with a similar promotion & have found it to be a great bank! They offer FREE ATM & bill pay & no overdraft or monthly fees and no hidden fees. They also have high interest rates.

Here’s how it works:

• Head to Ing Direct & click on the “Apply Now” button. Follow the directions to open up a FREE checking account. There are no minimum amounts needed in your checking account & no fees. You will need at least a few dollars though to make several purchases {Must be a new Ing Direct customer.}
• Make 3 purchases with your Electric Orange Card or Person2Person payments (any combination of the two) within 45 days. These can be signature or pin-based purchases.
• On Day 50, you will have $50 deposited into your account.

Thanks Couponing to Disney!

Ing Direct – FREE $50 Bonus when you open a Checking Account is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Ebates is hosting a holiday live chat this afternoon at 4pm pst/7pm est today, Thursday December 22nd in the Savvy Living Community with the Blog Frog & Ebates. ! This will be a fun chance to talk about any last-minute present/stocking stuffer ideas, delicious ideas for holiday meals, start thinking about New Years resolutions & more! I love the live chats because I always learn of so many fun recipes, crafts, ideas & more! I hope you’ll head on over & join us, even if for just a few minutes if you’re around during this busy week!

It’s simple to join – just click over to visit the Savvy Living Community & you can start chatting at 4pm pst when the Holiday Live Chat starts up. In the meantime, make sure to check out some of the fun discussions going on in the community.

Here are a few of the topics you’ll find:

• Favorite Holiday Treats
• Christmas Breakfast Ideas
• Ways to Save on Gift Wrapping

Ebates Live Chat – 4pm pst Today! is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Today we’re featuring a yummy holiday recipe from reader Rachel – Rocky Road Clusters! This would be a great recipe to make for gifts for the neighbors or to bring to a holiday gathering.

Ingredients:

• 1 package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 package of Butterscotch chips
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup peanuts
• 1 package of mini marshmallows

Directions:

1.  Put 1 package of the semi sweet chocolate chips & butterscotch chips in a microwave safe bowl
2. Microwave chips for 2 minutes on medium heat (I use power level 5)
3. Chips will not look melted (see picture), but give them a stir.
4. You may need more time – 2 minutes was not long enough for me, so I did 30 more seconds on medium heat. {You do not want to overcook the chips or they will taste burnt.}
5. Add 1 cup of peanut butter {I use Adams brand, I prefer the no stir, but I only had regular today}
6. Mix well then add the package of marshmallows {you could probably add a few more or less, depending on how thick you want the clusters}
7. Drop heaping spoonfuls into paper cups {I had these pretty black and white paper cups left over from a cupcake project I did earlier this year}
8. Refrigerate til set. This takes very little time, maybe 10-20 mins.

Thanks for sharing, Rachel! What are your favorite holiday treats to bring to gatherings or share with your neighbors & friends?

If you’d like to share a yummy recipe complete with pictures for the holidays (New Years Eve/New Years), email us at thriftynwmom (at) gmail (dot) com. If your recipe is chosen to be shared on the blog, you’ll receive a $10 Starbucks gift card. 

Rocky Road Clusters is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Contributor: Sarah from Chickie Momma Crafts:

I love gift tags.   Each year I try and make some for my gifts.  I love that now there are a number of places where you can download free printable tags!  We decided it would be fun to make some free printable gift tags for you to use this Christmas! This is a great way to save money on tags & use materials that you already have on hand.

Instructions:

• To print: Use cardstock – this is not a must but it does make them a little more durable and easier to cut out.

I also like to add glitter or ribbon to mine for a little Christmas bling.  I would love to see pictures of how you use them.

Free Printable Gift Tags:

Mason Jar Tag – this tag is really versatile – it wouldn’t have to be just for Christmas, but you could use it anytime of the year. You can cut the jar completely out or cut it into a rectangle.  These would be nice on wrapped gifts or on gifts from the kitchen!

Vintage Tricycle Tag - This would be cute for a child’s gift.  It would be cute with a little red glitter added to the bell or the frame of the tricycle.

Linen – This last tag is a simple linen-looking tag. You can print it in black, red or green writing.  I love burlap and linen and this has that type of look to it.

Thanks to the Graphics Fairy for the free downloadable clip art!

Free Printable Gift Tags is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Contributor: Sarah from Chickie Momma Crafts:

Every year the boys and I celebrate the days leading up to Christmas with different holiday activities.  We love doing some family traditions, but also love making new projects or new memories.  My youngest, Jack is really into playdough! It’s pretty much the only thing he will do for hours.  I decided making play dough would be fun and for Christmas we decided to do red and green.  A friend of mine had made some for a harvest party and she gave me the recipe (she had found it on Pinterest).  It is so much better than the store bought stuff – soft and pliable, but because it is made with kool aid it smells yummy! And what a frugal gift this would make for some kids on your list!

Ingredients:

• 1 package unsweetened kool aid (small packages- 20 cents each at Walmart)
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt (I only had kosher salt on hand and it worked great)
• 2 tablespoon oil (I used canola)

Some recipes do not call for the cornstarch-not sure if you need it or not, but the one my friend had given me had it and I loved how hers turned out so I used it-you might be able to try it without.

Directions:

*Mix all the ingredients in a cooking pot until heated through (stirring constantly) and dough forms ball in center.  You can also do without the stove in a bowl, but you must boil the water.  We tried it both ways.  I found the stove method to be faster and gave better results, but my Jack really wanted to stir and I won’t let him stir on the stove so we tried the boil method too.

*After the playdough has cooled, store in airtight container such as ziplocks or rubbermaids. We made these for little party favors & just put them in ziploc baggies & folded them down & cut out a piece of holiday scrapbook paper to add to the top & stapled it over the ziploc bag.

We made two batches of red and two batches of green which was the perfect amount to use as party favors at our “Birthday Party for Jesus”  I also think it would be a fun gift for a preschool class, neighbors with kids or even great stocking stuffer for your own little ones.We will definitely be making this again.

For a few more festive playdough ideas – check out some of these fun ideas we found via Pinterest:

Gingerbread Playdough

Candy Cane Playdough

Homemade Playdough is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Image Credit

In the midst of this final week of Christmas shopping & the frenzy & rush that happens as you try to get everything bought in time for Christmas, I wanted to share a different perspective in a video called the Advent Conspiracy.

[AC] Promo 2011 from Advent Conspiracy on Vimeo.

We watched this last year for the first time at our church & we showed this again yesterday in our MOPS group. It’s a very powerful video about slowing down & focusing on quality time & meaningful gifts & not so many material gifts, so you can give more generously- of your time and resources. This video specifically talks about the need for clean water in so many parts of the world & how we can help when we take the focus off of the material gifts & more on the real reason for the season.

You can learn more about the Advent Conspiracy on their website. It’s sobering to hear that Americans spend $450  billion on Christmas gifts every year, yet there are communities living without clean water. It only takes $20 billion to bring clean water to everyone in the world. Definitely gives you perspective in the midst of this busy season & makes you think about what’s really important.

Spend Less, Give More during the Holiday Season is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Guest Post: Erin from Simply Frugal Mom

When I was in grade school making these candy sleighs was always on our holiday To-Do list. They are perfect for Secret Santa presents, a teacher gift, or as a present topper. It’s a Simply Frugal way to add a sweet treat to your holiday gift giving.

For this project you will need:

• Small box of Junior Mints
• 2 Candy Canes
• Assorted Chocolate Candy
• Chocolate Santa
• Tin Foil
• Craft Glue

I had a hard time finding the smaller Junior Mint boxes but finally found them at Fred Meyer.  The chocolate Santa and presents were from a Palmer’s Santa Sack, which you should be able to find for under $1 pretty much anywhere.

First step is to wrap the Junior Mint box in foil.

Okay…since we are friends….I’ll confess that my first step was to eat the Junior Mints. But if you are giving this as a gift, I highly recommend you skip that step.

Next, glue the candy canes onto the wrapped Junior Mint box. I used craft glue for this, but you could use hot glue as well. I don’t have a hot glue gun, but I’m hoping Santa is going to bring me one.

Lastly, use craft glue to attach the chocolate Santa and presents. I used one of the bells from the Santa Sack to act as Santa’s seat and to help keep him upright. I don’t recommend using hot glue for this part…I’d worry that it would melt the chocolate.

You can use any candy you want for this project, like a pack of gum for Santa’s seat or Starbursts for the presents. I’d love to hear your suggestions.

If you are looking for other crafty Christmas projects, check out my posts on Making Your Own Bows and Tags with Scrapbook Paper  and my DIY Cookie and Milk Jug for Santa project.

Erin is a busy working mom and wife who loves a bargain! Her blog, Simply Frugal Mom offers tips and information on crafts, recipes, couponing, organization, and other areas of frugal living. Stop by and have a look around! 

Candy Sleighs is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Contributor: Sarah from Chickie Momma Crafts:

I saw these on Pinterest a few months back and knew my boys would love them.  They love reindeer and this year there are real live ones to go visit just down the road from us at Watson’s Nursery in Puyallup!  I also thought these would make a fun little gift for his preschool secretary and the other students in his class.  Super easy and affordable to make.

There are so many different versions of these that you can make – we have a few ideas that you could use or you could come up with something unique, too.

Free Printable “Reindeer Noses” tag:

We’ve also included a FREE printable Reindeer Noses tag that you can use which is in PDF form, so you should be able to print it right off on paper or cardstock to use.

Supplies:

• Red Hots candies (or you could use Whopper candy for the noses & then add in one red candy intermixed within them.) You could also use red jelly beans or any other favorite red or brown candies.  *I found the Red Hot candies very cheap at Winco in the bulk bins.
• Mini ziploc bags or cellophane bags from Michael’s or another craft store (I found mine years ago at Paper Zone but any craft store would have them). Mine are size 3″ x 5″.
• Christmas scrapbook paper (or just a piece of plain cardstock paper)

Steps:

1. Fill up the bags with your candies (Red Hots, Whoppers, etc)
2. Cut scrapbook paper into 3.5″ x 6″ rectangles and then fold them so they are 3.5″ x 3″ .
3. Staple the scrapbook paper to the top of the cellophane or ziploc bag.
4. Print off the Reindeer Noses free printable tag & cut them into 3″ x 2.5″ rectangles.  {You’ll notice there is no “o” in noses”.}
5. You can use glue to draw an “o” in “noses” & sprinkle red glitter on top. Or use a red pom-pom, red buttons, or even glue on a red hot candy.
6. After your “o” is dry, then glue your Reindeer Noses printable onto the scrapbook paper to finish your tag.

Super simple and fun!!  These would make cute neighbor gifts for other neighborhood kids or great little stocking stuffers!! Or maybe make these to pass out to all the kids in your child’s classroom as a fun yet thrifty little Christmas gift!

Do you have a frugal yet fun Christmas craft,gift idea or Christmas recipe to share with all of us?  We’d love to feature unique reader ideas along with pictures. Email me at thriftynwmom (at) gmail (dot) com with your idea.  If you’re a blogger, we will link to you within the post as well as providing a short bio at the end. You’ll also get a $10 Starbucks gift card as a thank-you!

Reindeer Noses + FREE Printable Tag is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

We’ll be featuring some fun holiday recipes & crafts over the next week or so & I’m thrilled that my friend Steph is sharing her delicious recipe for Cheesecake in a Jar! These are super cute, especially in these fun little jars, and they are such a simple gift idea for friends, neighbors, co-workers, & more. Make sure you go check out her blog, You Paid More than Me  - she is an amazing decorator on a frugal budget (her house was even featured twice in The Nest magazine).

Guest Post: Stephanie from You Paid More than Me

This is a mini cheesecake I have used for years. In fact, I’m sure this recipe is well over 50 years old. If I can bake a recipe like this you can too, I promise! Most of the ingredients you may already have in your fridge!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of Crushed Graham Crackers
• 1/4 cup of Sugar
• ¼  cup of Butter, Melted
• 3 pkgs of 8oz Cream Cheese, Softened
• 1 can of 14oz Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk )
• 3 Eggs
• 2 Tsp Vanilla ( I eyeball it )
• 12 Half Pint Jars (I found these at Fred Meyer, but you could also find at Safeway, Lowe’s, Home Depot,etc. I paid around $10 for the dozen)

For the Crust:

• Crush your graham crackers, if your kids want to get involved, now is the time!
• Combine the crushed crackers with the sugar and butter. Press equal portions ( about 2 large spoonfuls ) into the bottom of your jars.

Filling:

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until it’s fluffy.
• Slowly add the condensed milk until it’s smooth. No lumps!

• Now add the eggs and vanilla, and mix it well. At this point I indulge myself and taste the batter, and I almost always add a touch more vanilla!

Scoop the batter into the jars, trying to equally distribute it. It came out to about 3 large spoonfuls each jar, dont fill to the top.  Now get out a deep baking pan or casserole dish, and fill with boiling water, you’re going to give these filled jars a bath in the oven. The water should be covering about half of the jar.

Bake them at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. You want them to still jiggle, but begin to pucker a bit. Dont look for a golden color, you shouldnt find it

Take this time to clean, you’ll thank yourself later.

This is the hardest part of the whole recipe. Please, please be careful.  Carefully take the pans out of the oven. The water is boiling hot and it IS a balancing act.

Still with me? Hands intact?

Ok good.

Take the jars out of the water right away and set them out to cool. I just put mine directly in the fridge, where they cooled overnight.

Once cooled, add any topping you like. I chose mini chocolate chips and raspberries. I mashed up a few raspberries with sugar to make a bit of jam and plopped the berries on top. Other ideas are oreos or cherries or really anything. You can also use baking cups instead of jars, and it would make 24 mini cheesecakes. Enjoy!

If you like this Cheesecake in a Jar recipe, make sure to check out the Mason Jar Pie recipe too – another fun idea to give to others during the holiday season!

Steph is a wife, mom, doula, wedding coordinator, decorator and a dealaholic. She has expensive taste on an Ikea budget, and she loves to hunt down that bargain. You can find Steph blogging over at You Paid More than Me, which is a mix of DIY, Knockoffs she finds, Ramblings and decor inspirations, that she hopes will inspire you. 

Do you have a frugal yet fun Christmas craft,gift idea or Christmas recipe to share with all of us?  We’d love to feature unique reader ideas. Email me at thriftynwmom (at) gmail (dot) com with your idea.  If you’re a blogger, we will link to you within the post as well as providing a short bio at the end. You’ll also get a $10 Starbucks gift card as a thank-you!

Cheesecake in a Jar is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Photo Credit

As I mentioned yesterday, my family will be doing a special 25 Days of Christmas activity for the month of December, where will be doing some sort of special activity or event for each day of the month leading to Christmas to celebrate the season of Advent. You can read all about the 25 Days of Christmas and see a variety of different Advent calendars that you can make yourself! Or just keep it really simple & have your kids help you make a red & green paper chain & you can write the activities on each of the links for the chain. Then have one child pull off a link each day with that day’s activity.

I’ve been compiling all sorts of fun ideas of activities that you could do for your 25 Days of Christmas (or 12 Days of Christmas – however many days you want). Tomorrow I will share some of the local events, for my local readers, that you could add to your 25 Days as well. Many of these ideas come from my friends who have been doing the 25 Days of Christmas for years with their kids (thanks Melissa & Sarah for so many fun ideas).

*Make sure to check out the fun ideas that Thrifty NW Mom Facebook Fans are sharing! And you can find even more activities & inspiration on my Pinterest Christmas boards.

25 Days of Christmas Activities:

• Give each of your kids a chocolate Advent Calendar to use with your homemade advent calendar (you can find these at the Dollar store, Walgreens, Fred Meyer, World Market, Walgreens, Hallmark, Bed Bath & Beyond) *This is our first activity for December 1st
• Living Nativity (there are 2 that are here in the South Sound area happening this weekend, I’ll share those tomorrow) – great way to kick off the season of Advent & focusing on the true reason for the season!
• Picnic next to the Christmas tree
• Have a birthday party for Jesus & invite friends
• Red & Green Dinner – serve food & drinks that are either red or green for dinner (if you’re really ambitious, you could even do this for every meal & make it Red & Green Day)
• Make ornaments (I’ll be sharing some different ideas for these – check out these fun Salt Dough ornaments)
• Christmas craft day (I’ll be sharing more ideas on the blog & Facebook Fan page)
• Make homemade Peppermint Hot Chocolates or go out to Starbucks or a local coffee shop for a fun little outing
• Decorate Gingerbread Houses
• Make candied popcorn & Game Night (maybe buy a new game & wrap it for them to open – it could be from a thrifty store, doesn’t have to be brand-new just new to them)
• Write letters to Santa
• Cut down Christmas tree
• Decorate the tree & drink eggnog
• Balloon Volleyball
• Date night with daddy
• Hot cocoa & Christmas books next to the Christmas tree or by the fire
• Christmas movie marathon night (or day)
• Tortilla snowflakes
• Put on PJ’s, bring (or buy) hot cocoa (or peppermint hot cocoa) & go see local Christmas light displays in neighborhoods
• Make paper snowflakes & decorate the windows
• Make edible gifts for the birds (e.g., birdseed & peanut butter pinecones)
• Make footprint reindeer or penguin (we made the reindeer one year as ornaments, but you could also do it on canvas for a fun holiday picture to hang on your walls at Christmas)
• Go ice skating
• Make red & green homemade playdough (Queen Bee Coupons has a fun recipe I want to try)
• Sleep on the floor under the Christmas tree
• Read the true story of Christmas (Luke 2: 1-20)
• Write notes to each member of the family telling them how special they are & leave in their stockings to open Christmas morning
• Kids Choice day or night
• Make reindeer cookies or edible wreaths

• Gather allowance money & put in the Salvation Army bucket  (or even better, volunteer as a bell ringer to help raise money for your local Salvation Army – we will be doing that this year with our whole family)
• Have a shopping date with mom or dad to buy a gift for their sibling(s)
• Bake & take cookies to a local organization like a nursing home, veteran’s home, hospital, youth center, etc
• Bake cookies & bring to your local fire station (maybe they’ll even give you a tour of the station & the trucks)
• Make gifts or treats for the neighbors & deliver them together
• Gather up toys to donate (also clears the way for new toys coming at Christmas)
• Make Christmas gifts for teachers
• Adopt a family or a child for the Christmas season – thru Toys for Tots or a local angel/giving tree  – have your children help you shop for the items
• Go Christmas caroling in your neighborhood or at a local nursing home, hospital, rehab center

25 Days of Christmas ~ Activities List is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Photo Credit

Now that Thanksgiving is done, it’s time to start preparing for Christmas . I don’t know about you, but I find that Christmas just speeds by every year & every year I’m left wishing we’d done more of the fun, family activities instead of getting caught up in the rush of shopping, baking, etc.  So, the last few years, we’ve tried to be more intentional in spending time as a family and slowing down to really enjoy this season.  We want the focus for our kids to be on the real reason for the season, celebrating the birth of our Savior.

So I thought I’d share a fun tradition that we will be doing this year – the 25 Days of Christmas (many people also call these “Advent Activities” or “Christmas Countdown”). This is where you pick an activity or craft or go to an event as a family for each day in December (or however many days you choose to do this idea). Your kids will open up the advent calendar to find out what the activity is for that day. It can be simple activities such as read a Christmas book under the Christmas tree or have red & green night where all of your dinner food is in red & green colors. Or you can do more involved activities like go to a Living Nativity or a Christmas play. It’s just taking the time to think about special activities you can do with your kids or as a family. Find a big list of fun activities to provide some inspiration for your 25 Days of Christmas!

Over the next few days, I will be sharing with you some different ideas of events & activities you can use for your 25 Days of Christmas. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can just start by doing the 12 days of Christmas or whatever sounds manageable to you. I first learned about the 25 Days of Christmas a few years ago in our MOPS group, but just haven’t been organized enough to do the full 25 days until this year. The first year we just did the 12 days of Christmas & last year it was the 15 days – so I’m ready for the 25 days this year! I’ll be updating you all as we go along with some pictures of the fun activities that we do, too.

Advent Calendars:

The first step, though, is to come up with a fun idea to display your 25 Days of Christmas Activities or Christmas Countdown.  I’ve been having fun looking for ideas for Advent Calendars on Pinterest so I thought I’d share a variety of different ideas with you. These range from the very simple to a few more elaborate ideas. Most of these are quite frugal, using items you most likely have around your house.

Baby Sock Advent Calendar from Martha Stewart - This is a variation of what we have done in the past. I didn’t use baby socks but actually found mini stockings at the Dollar Store a few years ago (I also have seen them at Walmart). I then strung them by a ribbon over our fireplace the first year. Last year, I kept it very simple & just kept the stockings in a special box & we’d pick out a new stocking every day. {This was a great option for us because I could switch out the activities easily depending on what our schedule turned out like that day} We haven’t yet gotten our Christmas items down (been too busy with Black Friday & Cyber Monday deals); otherwise I’d show you what we used.

 Advent Calendar from Simple Mom – using a frame, blank bookmarks, paper or sticker numbers, ribbon & clothespins. This is definitely a very do-able Advent Calendar for you non-crafty folks like me!

 Muffin Tin Advent Calendar from Amy at Mom Advice – I love that this is so simple using items easily found at home yet it still turned out super cute!

Cone-Shaped Advent Calendar from Family Fun – A fun simple idea that your kids could even help you make! This might be cute to display on your fireplace mantle, entertainment center or another prominent bookshelf.

Christmas Countdown Calendar from Thrifty & Thriving – My blogging pal Christy made this adorable countdown calendar using scrapbook paper, embellishments & magnets. This is a simple idea yet so fun & versatile since it could be on a fridge, corkboard, & more.

Clothespin Wreath from Sarah at Chickie Momma Crafts – Our contributor Sarah created this beautiful Clothespin wreath with cute little envelopes to hold the 25 days of Christmas activities. This would definitely take some time to create but you would have a beautiful wreath that could be used for other purposes as well if you use more neutral papers.

There were just so many fun Advent Calendars on Pinterest, so I had to share a few more of my favorites:

• Christmas Countdown Calendar by Simply Frugal Mom – She used a cookie sheet & little metal tins – so cute & I love the little tins – you could put a little treat in there too, if you wanted.
• Christmas Countdown Garland from The Crafting Chicks - They also include a free printable for the numbers – these are what I used with our stockings – just printed them out & taped them to our mini stockings…super simple. Love the cute envelopes they used for the garland!
• Advent Calendar using a Shoe Organizer – I love the practicality of this idea – use some cute cardstock paper or envelopes & then clip your advent calendar to the shoe organizer & hang it on the back (or front) of a door. {The only problem would be little hands moving the clothespins or trying to peek – I could totally see that happening in my house}
• Advent Calendar using Cookie Sheet - This one is a bit more elaborate but so cute! {you’ll need to scroll to the bottom of the page to find it – I couldn’t get it to link to the individual article}
• Handmade Advent Calendars - If you’re really crafty, then you might want to check out all of these fun ideas for Advent Calendars. I love the little felt pockets – so sweet!
• Printable Advent Calendar from Make & Takes - This is a super simple idea – just print off this cute advent calendar & it’s like a puzzle where your kids put on a piece each day. You could write the list of activities on the back of each piece.
• Paper Chain - The easiest & most frugal idea would be to just create a simple paper chain using construction paper & tape. Then write or tape the ideas for your activities onto each of the  links in the chain.

Celebrating the 25 Days of Christmas ~ Advent Calendars is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

We’re taking a break from the Cyber Monday deals tonight to highlight a very special Food Drive. Starting Tuesday November 29th, the spouses & family members of the 4 fallen Lakewood Police Officers will be remembering their loved ones on the anniversary of their death with a special food drive. They started the Fallen Officers Food Drive last year on the 1st anniversary of their murders & they will be once again offering the Food Drive this year as a way to remember the officers & honor their dedication to their community. All of the donations will go to the Emergency Food Network, which provides donations to organizations & food banks around Pierce County.

Here are the items that are most needed for the food drive: peanut butter, baby food and formula, fruit juices and canned fruits, vegetables, meat, stews and fish. They also could really use cash donations to the Emergency Food Network. This is a great opportunity as couponers to support the efforts of the slain officers’ family members & make a difference by putting our couponing skills to use to benefit the Emergency Food Network.

Don’t forget to check out our roundup of Food Banks in Western Oregon & Western Washington! Find a local food bank & go thru your stockpiles to see what you can donate – don’t forget that they can always use household/toiletry items, too, to give to the families.

Here are the details of the Food Drive:

Dates: Tuesday November 29th – Monday December 5th

Locations:

• Lakewood Police Department (the spouses & significant others will be there collecting food on Tuesday from 8am – 6pm)
• All Pierce County Forza locations
• All Pierce County Library branches
• Lakewood Ace Hardware, 8123 Steilacoom Blvd. S.W.
• Rusty’s Auto and Truck Repair, 19912 Meridian Ave. E., in Graham

Giving Back…Fallen Officers Food Drive – Tuesday November 29th – Monday December 5th is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

This is a great time of year to give thanks for all that we have been blessed with and to help those who may not be as fortunate.  We will be highlighting ways over the next few weeks that you can give back & include your families (even families with young children) so that they can experience the joy in giving back to others  this holiday season.

We recently had a speaker come to our MOPS group, Bill Bowers from the One Another Foundation (awesome speaker by the way – I highly recommend him if you’re looking for a speaker for your local group) & he shared about a variety of programs serving those in the community just here in Pierce County. It really resonated with me that even though I do have young children & think that there are not always a lot of ways that I can serve, there really are so many opportunities out there – just so many people in need within our own community.  I really want to instill in my children the love of service to others & to be generous in our giving, since God has blessed us with so much & we can in turn bless others. If you start teaching your children about giving early on, it will become a part of who they are. So, that is one of our goals for this holiday season & I will be sharing with you the opportunities that we find to hopefully give you some ideas of ways you can help in your local community.

I know for many families, budgets are so very tight & it’s hard to think about giving when you’re barely making ends meet yourselves. However, couponers often have a stockpile of items in their home or can find personal care items for free (or even better than free) and that is one way we can give back even with those tighter budgets. Have you ever thought about donating some stockpile items to a Food Bank?

In this economy, food banks are seeing more and more families utilizing their services and are having difficulties keeping up with the demand.  Maybe your family is one that has been faced by hardships this year & you are in need of a food bank or meal program to be able to food on the table as you struggle to keep up with the bills.  Hopefully this list will be a resource for you to find a location near you where you can go to get help.

**********************************************

This list is by no means an exhaustive list as there are hundreds of food banks around the Northwest. These are actually the food banks that were submitted by you, the readers, a number of months ago when we had you fill out a form with information about local food banks. We’ve finally compiled all of these together & thought that this holiday season was a great time to give you this information so you can think of ways that your family can bless others.

If you’d like to add a location to our food bank list, you can fill out our short form with as much information as you know & we will try to add them to our list (or if any information needs to be updated).

State Resources:

Northwest Harvest.Org:   One of the best resources I found for Washington state was the Northwest Harvest website. They have a list where you can search by county to find a list of food banks & meal programs for your area. This is a great resource for those of you who need these services, as well as a resource for those who want to find out a way to help – either by donating food or money to these programs or even volunteering your time to help out at one of these programs.

Oregon Food Bank - This also is a great resource for those in Oregon providing a list of food banks across the state that are part of their network. They distribute food to 20 local food banks, which then in turn distribute food to 947 agencies & programs around Oregon.

Food Banks in Western Washington and Oregon:

South Sound:

All Saints Parish Food Bank - Puyallup, WA; For more information, call (253) 848-2000.

Emmanuel Food Bank - Sumner, WA; For more information, call Arlene at (253) 350-4899 or email her at arleneevavold@comcast.net.

Families Unlimited Network (aka. University Place Food Bank) - University Place/Fircrest, WA; Donation drop-off: 12:00pm – 3:00pm on Tuesday and 10:00am – 12:00pm on Saturday; If you have a donation and cannot be there during open hours, there are drop-off bins in area churches. For more information, call (253) 460-3134.

FISH Food Banks - Pierce County, WA; For more information, call Marcus (Lakes Area location) at (253) 581-1116 or email him at lakesfish@fishfoodbanks.org.

Free Cakes for Kids South Sound - South Sound region, WA; They donate birthday cakes to children. Visit the website for a list of items needed. For more information, call (253) 267-5686 or email mischell@freecakesforkidssouthsound.com.

Maple Valley Food Bank and Emergency Services - Maple Valley, WA; 8:00am – 4:00pm on Monday – Thursday, 5:30pm – 7:00pm on the second Thursday of the month, and 8:00am – 11:00am on Saturday; For more information, call (425) 432-8139.

Multi-Service Center Food and Clothing Bank - Federal Way, WA; Donation drop-off: 8:30am – 4:00pm on Monday – Friday; For more information, call (253) 838-6810 or email info@multi-servicecenter.com.

Northwest Foursquare Church - Federal Way, WA; This food pantry is open to those who attend Northwest Foursquare Church. The location is open on Wednesdays from 9:00am – 10:00am. For more information, call Sondra at (253) 838-6321 ext. 260.

Plateau Outreach Ministries - Enumclaw, WA; For more information, call Denise at (360) 825-8961.

Real Life Family Center Resource Center - Tacoma, WA; Donation drop-off: 8:00am – 6:00pm daily; This food bank is a part of Real Life Family Center. Donations are taken right inside the church doors. For more information, call Sean at (253) 267-4675.

The Rescue Mission - Tacoma, WA; Donation drop-off: 10:00am – 4:00pm on Monday – Friday and 9:00am – 1:00pm on Saturday; For more information, call (253) 383-4493.

St. Francis House - Puyallup, WA; Donation drop-off: 10:00am – 5:30pm on Monday – Friday and 10:00am – 3:00pm on Saturday; St. Francis House is always in need of monetary donations, as well as good, quality used clothing and household goods.  All of the donation items will go directly to families in need. St. Francis keeps a small emergency supply of food on hand for times when clients can’t access local food banks. For more information, call (253) 848-3618.

Puyallup Food Bank - Puyallup, WA; Donation drop-off: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday between 9:15am and 3:00pm. Call 253-848-5240 to set up an appointment to drop off food. The food bank is located here: 110 23rd St SE; Puyallup, WA 98372

Orting Food Bank - Orting, WA; Hours are Wednesdays 12pm – 3pm (Oct 1 – April 30th) & Wednesdays  9am-12pm from May 1- Sept 30; Call 360 893 3150 for more information

North Sound:

Canyon Hills Community Church Food Bank - Bothell, WA; Donation drop-off: 9:00am – 5:00pm daily; The first trip to the food bank is free. After that, you must show proof of need. There are barrels throughout the building labeled Food Bank. Feel free to bring in any non-perishable items (no food beyond the expiration date). Financial donations are used to purchase fresh dairy, produce, and meat. Address boundaries apply (boundaries do not apply to CHCC members). For more information, call Vicki at (425) 488-4121 or email her at vickis@chccbw.org.

Eastside Baby Corner - Issaquah, WA; Donation drop-off: 5:30pm – 8:30pm on Mondays, 9:00am – 11:00am on Thursdays, and 9:00am – 12:00pm on Saturdays; They help children ages birth to 12. See the website for specifics on items they do or do not take. For more information, call (425) 865-0234 or email ebc@babycorner.org.

Everett Gospel Mission - Everett, WA; Donation drop-off: anytime; For more information, call (425) 252-1297.

His Pantry - Camano Island, WA; Donation drop-off: call the phone number below to arrange a time; Open day for those receiving assistance is 12:00pm – 1:30pm on Mondays. For more information, call (360) 387-7202.

Lynnwood Food Bank - Lynnwood, WA; Donation drop-off: after 10:00am on Monday – Friday; They prefer that fresh and frozen foods be dropped off Monday – Wednesday, as they give out to the public on Wednesday afternoon and don’t have a lot of space to store cold items. For more information, call (425) 745-1635.

Marysville Community Food Bank - Marysville, WA; Donation drop-off: 8:00am – 11:00am on Monday – Saturday; For more information, call (360) 658-1054.

Mount Si Food Bank - North Bend, WA; Donation drop-off: 10:00am – 1:00pm on Mondays, 9:00am – 10:30am on Tuesdays, and 9:00am – 6:30pm on Wednesdays; For more information, call (425) 888-0096.

Salvation Army Renton Rotary Food Bank - Renton, WA; Donation drop-off: 8:30am – 11:30am and 12:30pm – 3:30pm on Monday – Friday; During Thanksgiving and Christmas they give complete meals, including a turkey or a ham. For kids, they offer gifts for holidays. For more information, call (425) 255-5969.

Sky Valley Food Bank - Monroe, WA; 8:00am – 11:30am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and 5:30pm – 7:00pm on Monday evenings; There are alternative donation drop-off points at Cascade Community Church, Windermere Realty, and Monroe Glass – all in Monroe. For more information, call (360) 794-7959.

Westgate Chapel Food and Clothing Bank - Edmonds, WA; Donation drop-off: 8:00am – 5:00pm on Monday – Friday; Dry and canned goods and clothes can be donated at drop boxes any time the church building is open. To donate perishables, please contact the Emergency Services phone number to arrange a drop-off. For more information, call (425) 977-4500.

Vancouver/Portland:

Help Warehouse - Longview, WA; For more information, call (360) 425-3430.

Share of Vancouver - Vancouver, WA; For more information, call (360) 695-7658.

The Helping Hand of Oregon - Portland, OR; Donation drop-off: anytime; This small non-profit makes lunches for people who are waiting to find work. See the website for a list of items typically used. For more information, call Julie at (971) 221-6366.

Oregon Food Bank - Portland, OR; For more information, click here and contact the food bank branch of your choice.

Other Western Oregon Locations:

Barney’s Pantry - Gresham, OR; This was set up by the Associated Student Government at Mt. Hood Community College to help students. For more information, call Associated Student Government at (503) 491-7224.

The Father’s Heart - Clackamas, OR; Donation drop-off: 9:00am – 3:00pm on Tuesday – Friday; There’s an extensive list of needs on their website. Sack lunches are provided Tuesday – Friday, and hot lunch is provided many days. In the freezing weather, doors are open all night and up to 100 people spend the night. Lots of resources are available – showers, clothing, computer resources, haircuts, etc. For more information, call Teri or Troy at (503) 722-9780.

Food for Lane County - Eugene, OR; Donation drop-off: 8:00am – 5:00pm on Monday – Friday; You can also drop off packaged and canned foods at Goodwill stores and Northwest Community Credit Unions in the area. For more information, call (541) 343-2822.

Jubilee Food Pantry - Hubbard, OR; Donation drop-off: anytime; The Jubilee Food Pantry was opened in May of 2010 to serve the small rural community of Hubbard, OR and surrounding areas. The food pantry is open for distribution of food at 4:00pm – 8:00pm on Tuesdays. You can drop off donations at any time by leaving them on the porch. For more information, call Andy at (503) 819-5941 or email him at andy@sterling.net.

My Father’s House - Gresham, OR; Donation drop-off: 1:00pm – 4:00pm on Monday – Saturday; The Donation Center is located at 5003 W. Powell Blvd. in Gresham, near the intersection of SE 175th and Powell Blvd. For more information, call (503) 492-3046.

If you know of a food bank local to the Northwest that we could add to our list, please fill out the Food Bank form with as much information as possible for us to include. Or if you know of any updated information that needs to be changed, let us know as well in the comments section. I’m sure this information is changing all the time. 

Photo Credit

Giving Back…Ways Couponers Can Help! Food Banks in Western Washington & Oregon is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

I’ve mentioned several times on Facebook that I’m one of the new Community Leaders over in the Ebates Savvy Living BlogFrog Community.  It’s been a fun month of sharing festive fall recipes, Halloween traditions, autumn fashion trends & much more. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, make sure to head over & see the full list of discussions going on. Feel free to join in on one of the discussions or start your own discussion. Great way to get some feedback on any questions you might have about couponing, fall traditions, or anything else you can think of to ask.

They also feature Live Chats at least once a week. If you sign up for their email notifications, you’ll find out about the schedule for those live chats as well as any new discussions. A Thrifty NW Mom reader won one of the awesome cash prizes from Ebates a few weeks ago, too, during a Live Chat!

I started a new discussion today & I’d love your input! What are your favorite smartphone apps that save you time & money? We’ve discussed this in the past on Facebook, but they are constantly coming out with new apps & improvements, so we’d love to hear which are your favorites.  You can actually reply right here in the discussion or head over to the Savvy Living Community to reply & check out the other discussions going on.
.

What are your favorite smartphone apps to save time and money? is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

I love simple, easy meals in the crockpot & this is one of the easiest meals but it tastes delicious! Great for those cold evenings! This is a recipe from one of my Mentor Moms from MOPS – she brought me this meal right after my little one was born and it’s been a favorite in our family ever since she introduced us to the recipe.

Taco Bean Soup

 

Taco Bean Soup is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Contributor: Sarah from Chickie Momma Crafts:

In my hope of helping my family eat better and more frugally,  I have been making some of my own spice mixes using fresh herbs when I can and also taking advantage of the great prices on bulk spices from places like Winco and Costco.  Even Fred Meyer, in their natural section,  has bulk spices that are so much cheaper than purchasing the prepackaged items. If you live near a  Cash & Carry restaurant supply store, they also have great prices on bulk spices.  Make sure to check out Frugal Chic Living – she has a great printable resource list on all the Winco bulk prices.

Some spices we use a lot at my house are taco seasoning mix, Greek seasoning mix (our favorite is Cavendars), Pumpkin Pie spice (I use this almost always when a recipe calls for cinnamon) and Italian mix for pesto, sauce, garlic bread and dips.

Tips:

• I found cheaper shakers at the Dollar tree that I use to store the mixes in.
• I like to mix all the spices in my (cleaned out of course) coffee grinder.  Using the grinder helps to make the spices a uniform size and mixes them together really well.

 Here are some of my favorite DIY mix recipes using bulk spices:

Greek Seasoning Mix

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons Greek oregano
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dill
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon beef bouillon
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon sugar

Combine in mixer, bowl or mini chopper.  Store in air tight container.  Use 1-2 teaspoons of mix as called for in recipes.

Mild Taco Seasoning

Yield: Equivalent of 4 packets of taco seasoning

• 1/4 cup ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

To use: Use approximately 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning in place of a packet of commercial taco seasoning. To prepare taco meat, add seasoning & 1 cup of water to one pound of browned meat and simmer over low heat until liquid is gone.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

(from Martha Stewart)

• 2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg

Mix all of these together and store in air tight container.

Italian Seasoning Mix

• 1 Tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 Tablespoon onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• ¼ teaspoon celery salt
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Italian Dressing Recipe for Pasta Salads or Green Salads:

• 2 tablespoons of the above mixture
• h ¼ cup red wine vinegar
•  2/3 cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons water

Mix all the ingredients together and use as a dressing for your favorite salads.

Savings:

It is really quite cost-effective to make your own spice mixes.  In some cases, the cost is about ½ of what it costs to get it pre-packaged!  For example, cinnamon alone at Winco is about $2.25 cents a pound.  It costs $3.60 for ½ a pound at Costco.  At Amazon  it is $10.52 cents for just over a pound of cinnamon!

Make your Own Spice and Seasoning Mixes is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

This is one way to organize your coupons, you have to find what’s right for you. If you prefer the binder method, make sure to check out our post on how to organize your coupons using the binder method.

Finding the perfect way to organize your coupons is a challenge for most. I am still not sure that there is a perfect way to organize them. I am sure of two things however. First, I know that the “perfect” system is the system that works the best for you depending on your goals, time and couponing experience. Second, I know that switching from one system to another can seem like a very daunting task.

Over the last week, I have done just this. I switched from one method of coupon organization to another. I decided that I was ready for a different system because my couponing goals have changed and I am a lot more skilled in couponing than I was a couple years ago when I set up my original system.

As I started this task, I decided that I would document my journey and share it with you. I want to share with you the step-by-step process I took with the hopes that it may help you if you are considering taking on a similar endeavor.

What system was I using before and why did I want to switch it out?

• I was using a very easy system. I had a hanging file folder box that I had hanging folders in labeled by the month. In each hanging folder, I had envelopes labeled with the different insert types – Red Plum, Smart Source, General Mills, P&G, etc. Every Sunday when the papers came, I pulled out the insert and wrote the date on the top corner and then filed them away under the appropriate month in the appropriate envelope. When I was ready to go shopping, I would pull up the online coupon database find the coupons I needed for my shopping trip and clip them.

Why I liked this system?

• This system was really easy! Being a mother of two small children, I didn’t have to put much thought into the system. It was also very inexpensive to set up and didn’t take too much time every week.

What I disliked about this system?

• Since I didn’t clip my coupons, I didn’t have them with me. If I got to the store and found that they were out of something, I couldn’t grab a new coupon on the fly. I also couldn’t create my own great deals in the store when I found that there was something on clearance and I knew I had a coupon for the item.

What was my solution?

• I knew I needed to switch to a system that allowed me to bring my coupons with me. It needed to be portable and easy to use in the store. After some thought and research, I narrowed it down to the box system and the binder system and then I finally decided on the box system. I still needed something easy and the box system seemed to be the easier of the two systems for me at this point in time.

How did I set up the new system and make the switch?

• Purchased my supplies – I went to Office Depot and bought a photo box and dividers. I spent around $20 for my supplies and the individual boxes inside the photo box proved to come in handy. You will also need labels but I didn’t need to purchase them because I already had some at home that I could use.

• Decided on my categories – This was the most difficult part for me. This is also going to be a very personal decision depending on your shopping habits. I broke my box up into 60 tabbed categories. Some are very broad, like cleaning supplies, because they aren’t items that I usually purchase in store (I have an outside company that I get them from). Some are broken down quite a bit because I buy a lot of them.

• Labeled my tabs – Once you have your categories decided, print them out and cut them to fit your tabs. This was actually a very quick process.

• Clipped my coupons – This was the most time consuming part of the process since I had almost a year worth of inserts to go through and I have multiple copies of the inserts. I went page by page through the inserts and stacked the pages so I could cut multiple pages at once. There is some debate on clipping your coupons….Should you stack them? Should you cut them one by one? Should you hand cut them? Should you use a paper cutter? This is a decision you are going to have to make for yourself. **You will also decide on what coupons to clip….Clip them all? Clip only the ones you may use? I only clipped coupons for products that I knew that I would use or there was a possibility of me using. For instance, I don’t have carpet so I don’t need carpet cleaning supplies.

• Filed my coupons – Now I had piles of coupons that I needed to file, this was something great for me to do while I was sitting at home, watching some of my favorite shows. **Now if you are like me, your box may be overfull with coupons. This wouldn’t work for me so I went back through my coupons to double check to see if there is anything else that I really wouldn’t use. For example, after a second glance, I got rid of my coffee coupons. I don’t drink coffee and my husband is very particular about his coffee so why hold on to coupons for products that I would never use.

What did I do with the little boxes?

• I labeled them with the stores I frequent and placed the store specific coupons in them. It fits in my purse so when I am going to a particular store, I just grab that store’s box and my coupons and go. They also work great for organizing the coupons that you know you are going to use when you are out shopping. I still pre-plan my trips and gather the coupons that I know I will be using and bring my box for the unexpected deals and the plans that fall through.

How did the box work when put up to the test?

• I took my box into Target the other evening and it worked great. It fit nicely in the cart and I found my categories worked perfectly. I was able to capture unexpected deals and it was great. I was happy that I did all the planning on the front end because it led to a wonderful couponing experience with no stress and no frustration.

How do I maintain this system?

• In order for me to continue to have a system that works well for me, I have to make the time every week to sit down with my new inserts to clip the coupons and file them. In addition, I need to make sure that I purge expired coupons on a weekly basis.

Closing Thoughts

I am very excited to have had the opportunity to share this journey with you. For some of you this is old news or you already have a system that works well for you. For others, you are transitioning from a newbie couponer and are ready for the next step. I hope this helps you on your journey. There are systems out there that you can buy but they aren’t tailored to you or your needs. If you spend a little time planning it out, you can spend a lot less money and have a system that fits your needs exactly.

Let me ask you this – What system do you use right now? Does it fit your needs? Could your system use a makeover?

Inside My Journey of Coupon Reorganization: My Step by Step Process is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Earlier in the week, I told you about the discounts that Costco will be offering on pork all month in honor of National Pork Month. They will be featuring discounts for different cuts of pork each week, so make sure to check out the pork discounts next time you head to Costco.

This week, they are offering a $2.50 discount on boneless pork chops & boneless pork loin thru Sunday October 9th. I was given the opportunity to create a savory, everyday dinner so my husband and I decided to buy the boneless pork chops (our favorite cut of pork) & come up with a simple dinner that would be quick for a busy weeknight when you’re short on time. My hubby loves to experiment (unlike me as I have to have exact recipes to cook from) – so he came up with this recipe as a combination of a few favorites.

Don’t forget to head to Costco’s In the Warehouse website for more yummy pork recipes.

Honey Spice Glazed Pork Chops

Boneless Pork Chops from Costco – 4.05 lbs for $15.35 – $2.50 discount = $12.85 total or $3.17/lb 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• cooking spray
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp montreal steak seasoning
• 1 tbsp crushed pecans
• Boneless pork chops (3-4 or however many you prefer for your family)

Directions:

1. Combine honey, Dijon mustard, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, lemon juice, and pecans in a bowl and stir.

2. Heat a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high heat.

3. Sprinkle pork with salt, pepper & montreal steak seasoning.

4. Cook two minutes each side until brown.

5. Reduce heat to medium low and add honey mixture.

6.  Cook 10 minutes or until done, turning pork once.**

**Just a reminder that in May, the USDA reduced the temperature guideline for cooking pork chops, pork loins & roasts from 160 degrees to 145 degrees F, with a 3 minute rest. You can find more information on the Pork Be Inspired website.

Giveaway – $25 Costco Cash Card

A lucky Thrifty NW Mom reader will win a $25 Costco cash card, which is basically a Costco gift card. You don’t need to be a member of Costco to use a Costco cash card either.

This giveaway will end on Tuesday, October 11th at 9pm PST.

The winner will be drawn using “And the Winner Is” plug-in and announced on the blog. I will also email the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me. Otherwise a new winner will be drawn. US residents only & you must be 18 yrs or older to enter the giveaway.

Here’s how to enter this giveaway:

1st Entry (required entry): Share your favorite way to prepare pork.

Extra Entries: (make sure these are all separate comments, with a comment for each entry)

2) Subscribe to the Thrifty NW Mom feed via a reader of your choice or email (must be verified) or become a Google follower

3) Leave a comment here saying you “like” the Thrifty NW Mom Facebook page (on this post – not on Facebook! )

4) Leave a comment here saying you “like” the Costco Facebook page.

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Costco, the National Pork Board, and the Motherhood.  I am receiving a stipend & a Costco gift card to purchase necessary items. As always, all opinions are 100% mine. See my disclosure statement for more details.

Honey Spice Glazed Pork Chops + $25 Costco Gift Card Giveaway is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Contributor: Sarah from Chickie Momma Crafts:

One of my favorite crafts to do with my boys is potato prints.  They are the perfect craft for preschoolers.  I love that the potato stamp is large and chunky for their little hands.  Both my boys love painting this way.

How to get Started:

• Large russet potato-cut it in half and left to dry out overnight
• Finger paint
• Paper (or any other medium you wish)

I usually place the paint on a thick paper plate or aluminum pan, cover the table with an old table cloth and then hand the boys the potato stamp to go to town. After the “pumpkins or apples dry, the boys then used green ink from a stamp pad  to make stems with their fingerprints.

It is so easy but a fun activity for kids. You can use cookie cutters to cut the potato into any shape to use for any season or holiday.  We didn’t cut them this time because we were making apples and pumpkins for fall.

Uses for Potato Stamps:

The possibilities with potato stamps are endless.  You could use fabric stamps and stamp on a table cloth, canvas bags, dish towels and much more.  They would make fun gifts for grandmas or teachers!!

This also a great option for homemade wrapping paper at Christmas time – a special way the kids can contribute to the gifts while keeping the costs down without buying the more expensive wrapping paper.

Potato Print Pumpkins is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

October is National Pork month and in celebration, Costco will be offering special discount coupons on various cuts of pork throughout the entire month. Starting today, Monday October 3rd and going thru next Sunday, October 9th, Costco will offer a $2.50 off coupon for boneless pork chops & roasts.  I headed to Costco yesterday to check out prices and at my local Costco store, the regular price of the boneless pork  top loin chops & roasts was $3.79/lb.  These prices may vary around the country, though.

As part of this promotion, the National Pork Board is offering a recipe competition featuring different cuts of pork and I’m excited to be participating in this competition along with a number of other bloggers. There will be a different cut of pork featured each week at Costco, along with a coupon for that specific cut of meat – and bloggers will be showcasing their favorite recipes for the featured cut of pork that week.  Thankfully, I have the opportunity to share a yummy recipe for the boneless pork chops or roasts, which just so happens to be our favorite cut of pork! I will be sharing that recipe later in the week, so make sure to check back in for that.

Along with a yummy fall recipe for boneless pork chops, I will also be offering a $25 Costco gift card giveaway – so you definitely don’t want to miss that!

In the meantime, make sure to check out Costco’s In the Warehouse website, where they will feature tips & recipes for each week’s featured cut of pork from Costco.  My husband is a lover of all things tropical, so I am thinking he would love the recipe for Pina Colada pork chops – might even have to try it for his birthday coming up in a few weeks (shh!). I’ll let you know if I try it out!

You can also find out more information about cooking the various cuts of pork at the Pork Be Inspired website. Along with this information, you’ll also learn about the new information from the USDA. They reduced the temperature guideline in May for cooking pork loins, chops & roasts, reducing the temperature from 160 degrees to 145 degrees F, with a 3 minute rest. They said that this will produce a juicier meat but that it may be more pinker in color than most people are used to. Ground pork has not changed, though, in that it should still be cooked to 160 degrees.  {I have to admit that I’m not a fan of pink meat, though – I like my meat well done so I’ll probably still stick to the 160 degrees, but it’s something interesting to consider.}

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Costco, the National Pork Board, and the Motherhood.  I am receiving a stipend & a Costco gift card to purchase necessary items. As always, all opinions are 100% mine. See my disclosure statement for more details.

Costco – $2.50 off Boneless Pork Chops & Roast + Upcoming Costco Gift Card Giveaway #costcopork is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Swagbucks is having a big Swagbucks Extravaganza today where they will be releasing swag codes all day – you can earn up to 60 swagbucks. You’ll want to be sure to check the Swagbucks website, blog, Twitter, & Facebook pages to find the swag codes today. I’ll try to list them on the Thrifty NW Mom Facebook Fan page when I find them, too – or you can share them on the page if you find them.

If you’re new to Swagbucks, this is a great day to join as they are offering 100 swagbucks just for signing up (you typically earn 30 swag bucks when you sign up but thru today October 3rd, you can earn an extra 70 swagbucks).  Plus you can earn the extra swag codes as part of the Swagbucks Extravaganza today, too. All you need to do is head on over to Swagbucks and use the swag code: BIGTIMEBUCKS when you sign up.

Wondering what Swagbucks is all about?  Swagbucks is a search engine which rewards you for searching thru their site. You can earn reward points to use on prizes & gift cards.  You can also earn extra points by watching  videos, shopping online & playing games on their site. They also feature extra bonus codes, called swag codes, which you can use to build your reward points.

Make sure to read my Swagbucks 101 post for all the details on how to get started with Swagbucks & how to use it best. I’ve been using Swagbucks for a number of years & I regularly earn gift cards including Amazon, Starbucks, & more. They even have Southwest Airlines gift cards & many retail stores.

Swagbucks – 100 Swagbucks for New Members + Swagcode Extravaganza Today is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Update: Zaycon’s website has been running very slow due to the number of people who have been trying to order, but they shared on their Facebook page that they will not run out of chicken tonight, so try again later tonight or wait till tomorrow & see if the site is working better & faster!

Zaycon Foods will be back  to Washington, Oregon, & Idaho this October, with their sale on boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The boneless, skinless chicken breast is on sale in 40 lb boxes for $1.49 a pound – which is even better than last year.  This is a STOCK-UP price – I will most definitely be buying a case (or maybe even 2) at this price. If you don’t think you could use 40 lbs of chicken or don’t have the freezer space, considering sharing an order with a friend.

You will need to pre-order the chicken at the Zaycon Food website starting at 5pm pst tonight (Tuesday September 27th) & it has sold out very quickly the last few times they have had this sale. Considering this is the lowest price they have offered, I can guarantee that this will sell out even faster this time. So, make sure to register now, so that you’re ready to buy your chicken when the event opens up at 5pm.  (The order window is only available thru Saturday October 1st, 2011)

Zaycon’s chicken is  100% fresh, natural chicken with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients. The reason Zaycon Foods can bring you these lower prices is that they bring the chicken directly to you from the farm, which means that you will need to do some prep work before freezing the chicken (trimming the fat, etc). The chicken  arrives in 4 10 lb bags for a total box of 40 lbs of chicken.    Make sure to check out my post last fall with pictures & more details on Zaycon Foods chicken.

If you’re not in the Northwest, Zaycon Foods has now expanded & is delivering their awesome products (meat & produce) to numerous areas around the country, as far as the East Coast. So, make sure to check out the Zaycon Foods website & see if your area is included. If it’s not included yet, sign up for their email newsletter & they’ll notify you when they expand to your area (it also helps to sign up so they see that there is interest in that area).

Here are the Northwest Delivery Times & Locations:

Monday, October 10

• Coeur D’Alene, ID
• Sandpoint/Ponderay, WA
• Colfax, WA
• Pullman, WA
• Colville, WA
• Chewelah, WA
• Airway Heights, WA
• Cheney, WA
• Spokane South, WA

Tuesday, October 11

• Grangeville, ID
• Kamiah, ID
• Lewiston, ID
• Spokane North, WA
• Ritzville, WA
• Wenatchee, WA

Wednesday, October 12

• Pasco, WA
• Kennewick, WA
• Walla Walla, WA
• Hermiston, OR
• Benton City, WA
• Moses Lake, WA
• Othello, WA
• Richland, WA

Thursday, October 13

• Zillah, WA
• Ellensburg, WA
• Yakima, WA

Friday, October 14

• Mt Vernon, WA
• Camano Island, WA
• Arlington, WA
• Everett, WA
• Bellingham, WA
• Blaine, WA
• Everson, WA
• Lynnwood, WA

Saturday, October 15

• Monroe, WA
• Issaquah, WA
• Boise, ID

Monday, October 17

• North Bend, WA
• Burien, WA
• Redmond, WA

Tuesday, October 18

• Tacoma/Lakewood, WA
• Puyallup, WA
• Gig Harbor, WA
• Bremerton, WA
• Federal Way, WA
• Olympia, WA

Wednesday, October 19

• Elma, WA
• Rochester, WA
• Kelso, WA
• St Helens, WA
• Woodland, WA
• Camas, WA
• Battle Ground , WA

Thursday, October 20

• Vancouver, WA
• Hillsboro, OR
• Oregon City, OR
• Portland, OR
• Tigard, OR
• McMinnville, OR
• Wilsonville, OR

Friday, October 21

• Salem, OR
• Albany, OR
• Eugene, OR
• The Dalles, OR
• Pendleton, OR
• La Grande, OR
• Baker City, OR

Saturday, October 22

• Eagle, ID
• Nampa, ID
• Ontario, OR
• Caldwell, ID
• Fruitland, ID
• Boise, ID

Monday, October 24

• Burley, ID
• Pocatello, ID
• Mountain Home, ID
• Jerome, ID
• Twin Falls, ID
• Blackfoot, ID

Zaycon Chicken – $1.49 / lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

Contributor: Sarah from Chickie Momma Crafts

Fall is here and I love all that it brings!!  One of my favorite things to make this time of year is caramel sauce!   This would make a great homemade gift for the holidays – maybe a fun hostess gift when you attend a get-together, too. It is so versatile and really quite simple to make! There are only 4 simple ingredients – all it really requires is a little patience!

DIY: Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (you can also use milk, even skim milk – it won’t be as decadent, but it will help your waist line )

Directions:

• Using a heavy sauce pan, add 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar.
• Place on medium high heat and stir constantly (using a wooden spoon)  until all the water dissolves and it begins to boil.
• After it begins to boil do not stir.
• This next part takes the longest!  Wait until the sugar has reached a dark amber color.  The lighter the color the less caramel flavor-if you like a lighter caramel don’t wait quite as long.
• Once the sugar has reached a dark amber,  remove from heat.

• Add 1 tablespoon butter,  stir constantly.
• Add ½ cup heavy cream-the mixture will foam up.
• Continue stirring until mixture is smooth.
• Pour mixture in glass jars and store in refrigerator.

We love it on ice cream, in our morning coffee, in apple cider, dip for apples, on apple pie, apple cake, or really just by the spoonful!!!

Price Comparison – Homemade Caramel Sauce vs Store-Bought Caramel Sauce

To make caramel sauce, it costs about $1 to make 8 oz. If you want to buy good, pre-made caramel sauce in the stores, it is about $2 for 8 oz. , so that’s a 50% savings.  Once you make it homemade,  you won’t be able to go back to the store bought stuff!!

Apple Pie Recipe using Caramel Sauce:

Ingredients:

• (2) 9” prepared pie crusts
• 7 cups tart apples (the key to using apples to bake is using ones that are smooth on bottom-the bumpier on the bottom the less well they bake)
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup raw sugar
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz. prepared caramel sauce
• 3 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

• Place one prepared crust in greased pie pan
• In bowl mix sliced, peeled apples, sugars, lemon juice, flour, salt and cinnamon
• Place mixture in pie dish
• Pour slightly warmed caramel over the top
• Place butter in pats over the top
• Put top crust on and crimp edges
• Place pie in 400 degree oven for  50-60 min.
• After it’s finished baking, remove from oven & let it cool at least 45 minutes before serving

You may want to use crust guards to ensure the edges don’t get too brown.

Mmm, apple pie with caramel sauce on top!

What are your favorite fall recipes?

DIY: Homemade Caramel Sauce is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom

I wanted to let you know about a last-minute opportunity to come and learn all about couponing during a beginner coupon class that I’ll be teaching this Tuesday night, September 27th at 7pm pst. This was open to Orting residents first, but we still have spots available, so anyone is welcome to attend.

All that we ask is that you bring a donation of 2 non-perishable food items to benefit the Orting Food Bank. If you’d prefer instead, you can give a monetary donation to the Orting Food Bank using a donation jar.

You can sign up for the class on our Eventbrite sign-up list. Make sure to sign up so that we have enough seating & handouts for everyone.

Details:

Beginner Coupon Class – Held at Rivers’ Edge Church in Orting, WA

Date & Time: Tuesday September 27th at 7pm

Cost: FREE with a donation of 2 non-perishable items for the Orting Food Bank (or you can contribute using the donation jar for the Orting Food Bank)

*There is no childcare available for this class.

If you are unable to attend this class but would like to attend a couponing class, Heather from Queen Bee Coupons is having a class tomorrow night, Monday September 26th  in Puyallup at Celebration Church from 6-8pm. There are still openings for her class & there is childcare available on a limited basis. The cost is $8 plus a non-perishable food donation.

FREE Coupon Class in Orting – Tuesday September 27th 7pm is a post from: Thrifty NW Mom