Homemade Pizza

My Made from Scratch project today was Homemade pizza. 

Review of Alaska Bound

I recently read AlaskaBound which is the story of the struggles of a couple who built a cabin on a remote location by Ketchikan, Alaska.  The only way to reach their property was by boat and there was typically no cell phone reception.   

It was still winter weather when they first made their trip and started building their cabin.

The beginning of the book was a little slow but the more you get into it the more interesting it becomes.  Towards the middle of the book it was difficult to put the book down. 

It was fun to read the story since I was in Ketchikan a year ago on a cruise.  But I would rather experience the way I did on a cruise ship than the way the did.  I did go ziplining while I was in Ketchikan, which was a new experience for me.

Click Here for the other books I have read in 2013.

Make it From Scratch Challenge

Crystal from MoneySavingMom is hosting a Make it from Scratch Challenge September 9-14. 
She will be posting each day about something she has made from scratch. I plan on participating in the challenge.

Check back each day to see what I and others have made from scratch.

A month of Pinterest Boards

During the month of August I featured a Pinterest board on a different theme each day.

Fireplace Update

Following is a post about how I updated my fireplace by painting it.

Fireplace update

Review of Bending Toward the Sun

Bending Toward the Sun by Mona Hodgson is the 2^nd book in the Quilted Heart Series.  I had read the first book in the series and this was a continuation from the first book  It has the same characters as the first book but focuses on a different couple than were the main characters previously. 

I am looking forward to continuing the story by reading the third book in the series.  

Each of the characters has their own conflict or difficulty that they are dealing with.  The story is easy to follow and the characters are relatable.  

I received a free Kindle copy of the book from the Blogging for Books program through Waterbrook Multomah Publishing, it did not have an effect on my review.

Review of the Winnowing Season

TheWinnowing Season is the 2^nd book of the Amish Vines and Orchard Series by Cindy Woodsmall. I have read the 1^st book and enjoyed both books and am waiting for the 3^rd book in the series.  

The books tell the story of a couple of Amish families who have to Maine to start a new apple orchard after theirs was damaged by storms. The younger members of the families struggle with the decision to remain in the Amish faith. Some of the other members have struggles of their own. 

Cindy Woodsmall has a great talent for writing in a way that makes the characters easy to relate to.  I have read many of her books and have enjoyed all of them.  

I received a free copy of the book from the Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging For Books reviewer program in exchange for an honest review.

I have been participating in the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge, click here for other books I have read this year,

$5 Taste of Home Cookbook/Kohls Cares

Taste of Home is one of the resources I turn to for many recipes.  They publish a monthly magazine with recipes, an annual cookbook of all of the recipes from the magazine for the entire year and there are recipes on the website and Facebook page.  The recipes are submitted by readers so they are easy recipes and use “normal” ingredients.  I usually receive compliments on recipes I make from the cookbooks.

Taste of Home is teaming up with Kohls Cares with the Busy Family Cookbook.  The cookbook is available at Kohls stores (near the registers) or online for $5.  100% of the proceeds will support kids’ health and education initiatives across the country.  The cookbook contains 275 fast dinner recipes.

Deal with Your Debt

I recently read the book, Deal With Your Debt by Liz Weston.  At the time of this post, the Kindle version is free.  MAKE SURE THE PRICE IS STILL $0.00 BEFORE ORDERING, prices can change at any time.  You can read Kindle books even if you don't have a Kindle device.  There is software you can download to read Kindle books on your computer, mobile phone or tablet.

The book includes information on different types of debt, ways to get out of debt and stay out of debt. It covers credit card debt, mortgage debt, student loan debt and other topics.

It is a good resource for people who are in debt and refresher information for others.

One of my goals for the year is to read at least one book each week of the year.  Click here for the other books I have read this year.

Life Without Limits Review

Life without Limits is by Nick Vujicic who was born with arms or legs and became an international motivational speaker. 

He travels the world sharing stories of his life, giving hope to others when they are ready to give up.  We may be going through difficulties and wondering why, but there is always someone that is suffering more than we are. Many of the challenges we face are temporary, unlike Nick’s disabilities that have affected his entire life. 

It is an inspiring book that shows if Nick and others going through tough times, there are reasons we are given the circumstances we face. 

In return for this review I received a copy of the book from Waterbrook Multonah Publishers as part of their Blogging for Books Program.

Check out other books I have read this year.

Purex Buy 1 Get 2 Free

This week through Saturday, June 22 CVS and Walgreens both have Purex laundry detergent on sale, Buy 1 get 2 free. The price at CVS is $6.49, so it comes to $2.16 per bottle.

Vacation photos into Wall Art

Today I stopped at a thrift store looking for something and instead found these plate racks.  I have been looking for racks like this to display my photo books from my vacations.  They were $1.50 each so I got 4 of them for less than the regular price of one.  On Amazon I saw they were $7 each.

I have four of them so I put two on each side of the door.

By doing this, I can display and enjoy my photos regularly instead of storing them on a shelf.

Checking the Bank

With direct deposits and auto payments that are available now, you may not be checking your accounts like you used to.  It is important to either check your bank statements monthly or check it more often if you have online access to your bank accounts.

This morning I happended to check my bank account, after making a deposit of my paycheck yesterday.  I was surprised to see it had not been posted yet.  I called the bank to check the balance to make sure it was right.  The deposit had not been recorded yet.

After some research they did find the deposit and it had not been posted.  It is also important to check your accounts to make sure debits are not taken from your account also by mistake.

Several years ago, there was a quite large deposit made to my savings account.  It turned out that it was supposed to be added to someone else's account.

If a deposit it not posted to your account, you may be writing checks or making other purchases that will casuse your account to be overdrawn.  If it is the bank's fault, they may refund overdraft fees but it would still be a hassle.

Even if you have bills paid automatically, it is also important to take a look at your monthy statement to make sure you are not being billed for items you no longer need or use.  There may be membership fees on your credit card that you know longer use but are still paying for.

The Four Week Financial Turnaround

I recently read The Four Week Financial Turnaround.  It is currently $2.99 for the Kindle version and $8.98 for the paperback on Amazon.  As the name suggests, it is broken into information and tasks to go thru your finances in four weeks.  It contains several worksheets to help you manage your spending and savings.  The kindle version shows the worksheets and includes links to PDF versions of the worksheets on his website.

I have written several posts about watching your spending and how small expenses can add up considerably.  One of the paragraphs that struck a chord with me follows.

"If you received a bill at the end of the month from 7-Eleven for $120, Quickie Mart for $87, and Starbucks for $118, what would you do?  Would you get angry and call them up right away to dispute the "false vill?"  I would.  But they would turn right around and respond by providing a record of the facts, proving beyond a doubt that you do in fact owe them.
Things would be different if convenience stores sent their customers a bill at the end of the month instead of charging at the time of purchase.  Those smaller amounts are easier to absorb.  All the spending adds up unnoticed."

It doesn't mean you shouldn't spend money on these things, it's just to pay attention to how much you are spending and can afford to spend each month.

On one blog I saw a post from a lady that she had spend $500 or so at Target in one month, $50 each trip and making several trips throughout the month.  Fifty dollars may not seem like a lot, but if you end up making several trips it can add up over the month.

The book seems like a good resource to get your finances in order and is also a good refresher for those that do not currently have debt

Getting Ready for Summer

With our weather now, it may seem like summer is a long way off.  I stopped at a second hand store near my house on the way home this afternoon and ended up finding 5 pairs of Studio Works capris.  They still had the original price tags ($28) and were marked $2.99 each.  On the way into the store I saw a sign that the white tags were half off.  So each pair of capris were $1.50.  So I ended up getting $150 of pants for $8.01.  I got 2 khaki, 2 black and 1 blue pair of capris.

This is one example of not knowing what you will find when shopping at thrift stores.  It is not as much of a guarantee of finding specific items as shopping at other stores, but in many cases you can find a deal on brand new or almost brand new items.

Chicken Stock in the Crockpot

Today I redeemed the certificate for the Sam's Club membership through Living Social last week.  The coupon for the pizza was valid.  The coupons for the chicken and cookies is not valid until March 20.  Just a notice for those of you that purchased the deal.

I did buy a rotisserie chicken today.  I had some for supper, made a sandwich for lunch tomorrow and will use the rest in other meals. 

After I removed all of the chicken from the bones, I decided to make chicken stock in the crockpot.  I put the bones in the crockpot and covered with water.  I added a little minced garlic.  Some recipes call for carrots, celery, onions and spices.  I have done it before with just the bones and meat on the bones.  Cook on low for about 8-10 hours. 

When it is done cooking strain to remove the bones and pieces of meat.  Cool and freeze in containers or freeer bags.

Natwionwide Thrift Store Directory

I discovered a Thrift Store Directory.  You can enter either the zip code or name of the city and it will list charity driven thrift stores, ratings and reviews.

Thrift stores are great places to find items for less than retail stores.  Many things can be found with original price tags and boxes.  One thing about it is that you are not guaranteed to find what you are looking for.  Part of the fun of thrift shopping is the treasure hunt or unplanned purchase of something you have been looking for, for a lower price.

I have found many things for a fraction of the regular price that either were brand new or looked brand new.

Transferring Credit Card Balances

Here is a recent post I wrote about Reasons not to Transfer credit card balances to another credit card and other topics about using credit cards.

Vitamin Deals

There are a number of brands of vitamins that are Buy 1 Get 1 Free this week at CVS (with a CVS card which is free to apply for).  Included are the CVS brand, Natures Bounty, Nature Made. The sale runs thru Saturday, February 9.

Also, in the coupon insert in the Sunday (2/3) newspaper there are coupons for Nature's Bounty vitamins that can be used with this sale.  There is a $4 off Protein Shake Mix, $3 off Optimum Health, $1 off Fish oil and $1 off any Nature's Bounty vitamin.

There is also a deal on Renu Contact solution.  The regular price is $9.99, sale price with CVS card $7.99 and you get a $5 ECB (coupon) off a future purchase in the next month.  So the final price would be $2.99.  I also had a $1.50 coupon that expired today so the final price was $1.50.

I had a $9 ECB from a previous purchase so I ended up getting $110 of items for $40. Plus I received the $5 ECB for a future purchase.

If you take vitamins it may be worth it to stock up when they are on sale, you can get 2 for the price of 1 or less.

Homemade Crescent Rolls

I have been trying to make a lot more items myself lately.  The lastest was Homemade Crescent Rolls.

They are more time consuming than the ones you buy in the tube but taste way better.