Mommies Frugal Finds

Here's an easy kid friendly crowd pleaser. My kids love this. I don't know if it's the shape of the bite sized pasta or the sweet garden sauce they love but, nonetheless the always ask for seconds, or even thirds with this one. Ingredients.... 1 pound hamburger 1/2 jar of garden Pasta sauce I used the name brand this time but normally use the Great VAlue Wal-Mart brand with is actually better. 1 box of Radiatiore pasta 15 one cup servings breakdown of price per serving Hamburger $2.30 Sauce $2.69/2 = $1.34 .36 a 1 cup serving!!!! Serve with a cup of fruit or salad and top with cheese if you like.

I was looking at a pic of my oldest son the other day and thought to myself. Look at that smile! Not a care in the world. He radiates geniune happiness and loves life. I think as adults we get caught up in making money and working at a job we often times hate. We trade our precious time for a few bucks, are on a schedule and never spend enough time, well, really living. No not existing.... But really living. And by that I mean enjoying what you are spending your time doing, everyday. Living with purpose, with fulfillment. So how do you live 'like a four year old'? #1 Don't let the little things bother you. I spent too much of my life overanalyzing stupid things like, why did that person say this or do that. I've come to the realization that the only persons actions I can control are my own. How I react to the things people do make all the difference. #2 Make time to do something that brings you joy everyday. Whether that means taking a walk after di...

Recently while reading another blog I had somewhat of an awaking...it talked about enjoying the now and not always trying to base your happiness in terms of the future. I will be happy when I find my dream house, dream guy, finish my degree or land that dream job! I have to admit that I have been guilty of this. I think I kind of lived with this mindset, constantly focusing on future goals and thinking that happiness will be found within these goals. Going through divorce, nearly losing my son when he got really sick, moving, changing career paths, my other son being diagnosed with Autism and going back to school have all been eventa in my life that have occured in the past year. I realized that life is short and not everyday is a guarantee so I have made a the choice to live in the now and be happy and content today, not tomorrow because we have no idea what that day will bring, but just appreciate the moment. I feel like I have gone through hell and back so just having some calmness,...

As you probably know by now I have been following Dave Ramsey. Now I'm not taking his financial peace class but I am atudying his advice and watching his youtube videos. There was one video in particular that caught my eye. He was basically saying in order to get ahead financially you can not think like everyone else. You have to be ok with being different and doing things differently. You have to look at money, debt and really life in general from a different perspective. I'm going to call it " think like your grandma". Let's think about this for a minute, in our grandparents generation they had no credit cards, they used what they had and they did not shop fir recreation. They bought what they needed and most importantly, they were content, they lived and they lived within their means. I think if we took a step back and re- adapted our life styles to these simple concepts we could really get a lot further. Say goodbye to the Jonses too. If the people in your lif...

20 things you should be buying at The Dollar Tree saving you up to $500 or more a year 1)Hair accessories, clips, barettes, ties, brushes combs 2)Shampoo conditioner and styling products 3)Socks 4)Baby wipes, baby shampoo, baby bottles, lotions, etc. 5)If u have animals pet products, leaches, collars, dog food, biscuits, bones, toys, sweaters 6)Cleaning sprays, wipes, bleach, air fresheners 7)Tupperware 8)Paper plates and paper products 9) stationary, office supplies 10) cards, gift wrap, 11) snacks drinks 12) beauty products like lotions, sunscreen, baby oil, makeup 13) vitamins 14) medicine cabinet over counter meds and bandaids, etc 15) books 16) ziplocks and garbage bags 17) phone accessories, like iphone cases, chargers 18) home decor frames, vases, flowers 19) toys, perfect for party favors, or stocking stuffers 20) frozen foods and pantry items. Some things I frequently buy in this dept...... Pasta Sauces Seasonings Frozen fruit Frozen pancakes and waffles F...

I decided it was time to re-evaluate my budget when my grocery bill per month got to $750 a month ( yes I got a little off track). I guess with everything that I've had going on in my life (divorce, moving, son in the hospital) the stress was too much and I stopped budgeting like I should have been. I used to clip coupons, meal plan, do make ahead meals, etc but all of that took the back burner for a while. So anyhow, now it's time to put my foot down on spening too much!!!! I'm getting back on track. I have some goals in place (more on that later) and it's time to make some changes. Here are some ways I am cutting our grocery bill down. One simple thing!!!! Shopping at the dollar tree! If you don't have a Dollar Tree in your area maybe you have a .99 cent store or something similar. Just by know what to b uy here you can save hundreds. Here are some of the things that I feel are a good value and I will do a price comparison Dollar Tree vs. Walmart Cream C...

As I was lying in bed I couldn't help but think about what success is, what it means to me and how we as as Americans define success. I couldn't help but think about a conversation I had a couple weeks prior with an old friend. The way she defined success didnt sit well with me. She defined success as having a mortgage she can't afford, a new car every year with a payment that she couldn't afford ( really if you are financing a car you really can't afford it let's be honest), and a recent refi to make her new house better ( move over Joneses). And heres the biggie. She slaves away at a job she hates five days a week... This is success??? Living for the weekend? Buying a beautiful house that you never use and having a family you never see. Is this really what auccess is to most of us? To me it's not. If you are happy, healthy and you have your bills paid and food on the table you are more successful than a lot of others I would say. I think we really have los...

Technology...you either love it or hate it. But even if you hate it, you might as well just get on board because like it or not it's not going anywhere. Hey maybe tomorrow that Delorian will be on the market...as if (oh wait that was the 90's). Anyhoo, I just wanted to tell you about a rather weird and unfamiliar experience I have had in the past two days. I am interviewing for jobs, but get this, I have had two virtual interviews. What the heck is that you say? It's a video interview that is done on platforms like skype and facetime. I also had to do interview video questions through a website called Onjobs. Onjobs (I had never heard of it) is a website where you basically create a video resume and profile and interview for the jobs of your choice. I really think this website is on to something and I feel like this is going to be the future of jobs interviews. This approach really seems like it would save companies  a lot of time and money (and isnt that what everyone need...

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The Cost of Work: How Much Do You Really make by Scott W. Danger, CPA The decision to be a stay-at-home mom is one of the most difficult many new or prospective parents face. The main reason many parents feel it is not a possibility is because of their financial situation. How can a couple with two wage earners get by on one salary while adding another member to the family? It’s certainly not easy. Every family is different but they all have one thing in common: Nobody takes home their entire salary. That is where the “Cost of Work” comes in. Let’s use an example. Joe and Julie are married and expecting their first child in three months. They live in a modest house in the suburbs. Joe is an Electrician with good benefits including family health insurance and Julie is an Office Manager downtown. Joe and Julie both would like her to stay home with the new baby, but they don’t see how they can make it work. How could they ever get by without her $25,000 salary? Let’s look at how mu...

              Here's What's New :: Walmart: Beech-Nut Baby Food for $0.12 per jar + more! You can use the following Beech-Nut printable coupons to score some great deals at Walmart: Buy 3 Beech-Nut Baby Food Jars — $0.46 each Use  $1/3 Beech-Nut Baby food coupon $0.12 each after coupon Beech-Nut Goodies — $1.27 Use  $1/1 Beech-Nut Goodies coupon $0.27 after coupon Beech-Nut Cereal — $1.50 Use  $1/1 Beech-Nut Cereal coupon $0.50 after coupon I can’t guarantee that your Walmart will have these same prices, but it’s definitely worth checking out! Thanks,  I Heart the Mart ! Walmart: Beech-Nut Baby Food for $0.12 per jar + more!  is a post from:  Money Saving Mom   •  Email to a friend  •  View comments  •  Track comments  •   •