Frugal Gift Idea — Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I am not much of a baker.  Instead, Emily and I did some holiday “baking” by making chocolate covered pretzels.  There is no measuring required, and they are always delicious.  Wrap in cellophane bags and tie with ribbon for a great (and frugal) gift! To make chocolate covered pretzels, you will need: 1 bag of […]

Frugal Gift Idea — Festive Winter Journals

Emily and I enjoyed making these winter journals.  They are so simple to make, and they came out looking great!  To make the journals you will need: Pretty paper (I used snowflake print, but any pattern will work.) Plain marble notebook Exact-o knife — DO NOT LET CHILDREN USE THE EXACT-O KNIFE!! Book binding tape […]

Frugal Gift Idea — Handpainted Block Print Kitchen Towels

Looking for another great frugal gift idea?  Try these cute kitchen towels!  You and your kids will love making these, and they turn out looking great.   To make these, you will need: Plain white flour sack towels (these can be purchased at Target for about $1 each) Fabric paint Holiday stamps (snow flakes, holly, […]

Fabulous Frugal Gift Tags

Emily and I spent some time this afternoon making these great gift tags from last year’s greeting cards.  To make the gift tags, you will need: Some old greeting cards — Many of the ones we received last year had no writing on the inside left, so we used those. Hole Punch Ribbon – I […]

More on Thanksgiving Leftovers

Getting tired of turkey yet?  Give your leftovers some fresh appeal with these great recipes: Paula’s Home Cooking — Includes recipes for Pumpkin Bars and Turkey Pot Pie. Leftover Cranberry Sauce — Mix with Cream Cheese for a great bagel spread. CD Kitchen — Easy recipes for leftover turkey. Turkey Casserole Recipe — Uses leftover turkey and […]

Frugal Fall Craft — Autumn Tree

Here is a frugal fall craft I did with Emily (4).  You will need construction paper in fall colors, a sheet of cardstock (for the background), and some glue.  For younger children, pre-cut the tree trunk and leaves for them.  The older kids can do this by themselves.  Put down lots of glue, and let […]

More Fun with the Fireplace

We have been taking advantage of our fireplace during this cold time of year.  Last night we roasted hot dogs over the fire.  We had hot dogs w/buns, and baked beans for dinner.  Then we read The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog.  This is one of Emily’s favorite books, and we enjoy the other Pigeon […]

Frugal Family Activities — Winter

Are your kids starting to suffer from cabin fever?  Are you looking for some inexpensive ways to keep the kids occupied this winter?  Here are some great ideas you and the kids are sure to love! Snow Painting — Go outside and let the kids build snow sculptures.  Then paint them with spray bottles filled […]