| February 2008 | Page 1 Of 3 | Next |
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Essential Family Living Design Updates
Posted On 2008-02-29 , 7:01 PM
Thanks to Mandie at Hollyberry Corner I have a new look to my web header, banners, and the background of both my website and blog. Mandie has a wide variety of free and for purchase backgrounds, buttons, tags, and clip art.
I had Mandie work with me to redesign my signature house and company logo. She is very creative and easy to work with. I highly recommend checking out her sites!
Thank you Mandie for sharing your expertise and in such a quick and profession manner!
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Email Inbox Organization
Posted On 2008-02-26 , 8:56 AM
Our family has been struggling with the late winter colds and flu over the past week. To be honest, it has me feeling run down. So I decided that I am going to sit on the couch with my laptop, pop in a movie, and work on cleaning up my email Inbox.
If you are like me, you have an email Inbox full of items that you either planned to respond to or thought you may use in a blog post or share with a friend. My plan is to add an "In Progress" folder for any items that I want to deal with but cannot take care of immediately. Then I will clean out this folder one day each week. If I haven't dealt with it within one week then it isn't as important as I originally thought it was.
All other emails will either be forwarded to the appropriate individual or deleted after reading.
Another thing that I have done is set up a Google Gmail account. The way Google has set up the Inbox all messages within a thread are included in one line of the Inbox. These cuts down on the number of messages in the Inbox and keeps all of the posts within one thread together for easy access. The negative about Gmail is that there is not a good storage program set up for emails that you may want to keep. There is a flagging system, but no sub-folders.
Please reply to this post with your best suggestions to keep your email Inbox organized and current. I look forward to hearing from you!
Visit http://www.essentialfamilyliving.com/ for more tips, ideas, and suggestions for family fun nights, frugal family living, organizing your family & home, and so much more.
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Begging for Bargins
Posted On 2008-02-25 , 10:59 AM
 Today I would like to introduce a new blog site that I have the privilege of being associated with. It is called Begging for Bargains.
This blog is all about providing a central location for you to find bargain specials, frugal living tips, sales, coupons, and many more great ways to save money and time.
I am excited to say that I am one of the Assistant Administrators of this terrific blog. It is a great sister site for my frugal family living friends to find additional ways to put our family first by being thrifty with our pennies.
So, if you haven't yet subscribed to my feed be sure to do that today. Then stop over to http://www.beggingforbargins.blogspot.com/ and check out the great deals, coupons, and advice.
If you find any specials, coupons, freebies, or contests that I haven't advertised at Essential Family Living or Begging for Bargains be sure to email me so we can get the word out!
Visit http://www.essentialfamilyliving.com/ for more tips, ideas, and suggestions for family fun nights, frugal family living, organizing your family & home, and so much more.
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5 Tips to Cut Expenses when Dinner Out
Posted On 2008-02-18 , 2:10 PM
One of my favorite things to do after a long day is to go out to eat a nice meal with my family. But the cost of an upscale restaurant does not normally fit into my frugal living budget. I have learned that there are many economical ways to keep the cost down while still enjoying a nice evening out.
1. Look for restaurants that advertise a "early bird" discount - If you are willing to eat early there are many menus that offer a substantial discount on their evening entrees.
2. Look for restaurants that advertise "kids eat free" - If you are taking the kids, many restaurants will offer a free kids meal with each adult meal purchased.
3. Order water to drink. Ask for a lemon or lime wedge if you would like a little added flavor to your water.
4. Take advantage of discount coupons. There are many restaurants that advertise in the newspaper, online, and in local coupon books. Many sit down restaurants will offer a 2 for 1 coupon.
5. Split a dessert. I have found that most desserts are much too large for one person to eat, especially after an entire meal. So order a dessert and ask for 2 spoons. Every restaurant I have been to willingly and happily accomodate this request.
Enjoy your next dinner out without the financial stress!
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Amy's Chili Soup with Cheese Garnish
Posted On 2008-02-14 , 8:49 AM
One of my family's favorite frugal meals on a cold winter night is chili soup and cinnamon rolls. It is great for me because it is easy to prepare and the clean up is quick! On top of all of that it is a very inexpensive meal per person and ranks a 9 on my frugal living with a little flair scale.
Here it is. Enjoy!
Amy's Chili Soup with Cheese Garnish
1 to 1.5 lbs of hamburger
48 oz bottle or can of tomato juice
29 oz can of tomato sauce
15.5 oz can of chili beans (including the liquid)
1 to 2 tsp of chili powder
salt & pepper
Brown the hamburger. While the hamburger is browning place the tomato juice, tomato sauce, and beans into a slow cooker or crockpot. Once the hamburger is brown season with the chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook on low for 8 hrs. or high for 3 to 4 hrs. [alternative preparation: include diced onion and green pepper for a richer flavor. Garnish with fresh cut chives].
I serve with freshly grated chedder cheese, crackers, and gooey cinnamon rolls.
Servings 4 to 6 persons.
COST ANALYSIS:
hamburger -$2.27
tomato juice - $1.99
tomato sauce - $.89
beans - $.79
Total cost for this dish is $5.94 or $1.49 per person for a family of 4.
Add'l cost not included above:
cinnamon rolls, cheese, and crackers.
Visit http://www.essentialfamilyliving.com/ for more tips, ideas, and suggestions for family fun nights, frugal family living, organizing your family & home, and so much more.
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| February 2008 | Page 1 Of 3 | Next |