Solar ovens can help save money on your cooking expenses. Solar ovens use the sun to cook your food. This is an effective, green way to save money. Because it can effectively reduce your cooking costs, you can get a fast return on your investment.
If you have ever considered cutting down your electric expenses, this is a great way to start. You can recoup your costs in as little as a summer if you learn to use it often. It is not difficult to set up, and most are very user friendly.
Solar ovens work best, of course, on sunny days. Solar ovens do not cook as fast as a traditional oven, they are more comparable to a slow cooker.
Many models fold up pretty small, so if you like to camp or take road trips, it is a great way to cook your food. You can even heat it up at picnics and BBQ’s.
There are many books available that cater strictly to solar cooking. There are also many different models of solar ovens, including ones you can make on your own. These may not be cost effective in the long run, but if you decide to try it out, it may be an interesting project. I have never tried any home made models, as they are inexpensive to buy. I can not see any savings after putting in the time and money to make my own.
If you are looking for a good way to lower your cooking expenses, try a solar cooker.
There are some great options available for both a solar oven and cookbooks on amazon.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
WRMN1410 a hidden gem for travel
WRMN1410 is a radio talk show based in Elgin, IL. It gives discount certificates for everything from food to hotels. Most of the discounts are only in the Elgin area. EXCEPT for the totally awesome hotel deals. You can be from anywhere and purchase the hotel nights here. Some now can even be purchased online.
If you are not picky where you want to vacation, or have a general idea, check out what they have. We used a certificate when we lived in Illinois for a weekend getaway to Traverse City, MI. We saved a ton of money, and the hotel was beautiful. It was right on Lake Michigan and we LOVED it. The best part was is that the hotel was a $200+ rack rate hotel which we got for $79 for two nights!
They have great deals all over. Check them out and see if they have what you are looking for!
If you are not picky where you want to vacation, or have a general idea, check out what they have. We used a certificate when we lived in Illinois for a weekend getaway to Traverse City, MI. We saved a ton of money, and the hotel was beautiful. It was right on Lake Michigan and we LOVED it. The best part was is that the hotel was a $200+ rack rate hotel which we got for $79 for two nights!
They have great deals all over. Check them out and see if they have what you are looking for!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
TRICKS TO SAVING MONEY WITH HOTELS- GET THE LOWEST PRICE POSSIBLE IN 5 EASY STEPS!
When we were planning a trip to Disney World for this month, we were trying so hard to find the best price, we looked for a WEEK to find the hotel we got- actually my husband did. There are great prices all over the place. This post should be able to serve as a guide to get the best prices on hotels.
Before I go any further, if you need some ideas on WHERE to go, check out my WRMN1410 post and our experience with them. They have some amazing deals, especially for weekend getaways.
Here is how you do it:
1. First of all, go to any site and find a hotel like you normally do.
2. Then, once you find a hotel, go to Kayak. Look up the hotel, and it will automatically compare the prices for you. Take the sites with the 3 lowest prices and write them down.
3. Then go to rewardsdb and look up the maximum cash back (change dollars into percentages for an easy comparison).
4. Then look up coupon codes. These are all over the internet, the best site I have found is Retailmenot
.
5. Find the top choice and book the best deal. Don't forget to go through the cashback program to book it, or you will not get the cash back! Make sure you enter the coupon code too.
You may be able to get a better deal if you look long and hard, but it won't be much better. This is generally a great way to get the best deal no matter where you are going and when.
Before I go any further, if you need some ideas on WHERE to go, check out my WRMN1410 post and our experience with them. They have some amazing deals, especially for weekend getaways.
Here is how you do it:
1. First of all, go to any site and find a hotel like you normally do.
2. Then, once you find a hotel, go to Kayak. Look up the hotel, and it will automatically compare the prices for you. Take the sites with the 3 lowest prices and write them down.
3. Then go to rewardsdb and look up the maximum cash back (change dollars into percentages for an easy comparison).
4. Then look up coupon codes. These are all over the internet, the best site I have found is Retailmenot
.
5. Find the top choice and book the best deal. Don't forget to go through the cashback program to book it, or you will not get the cash back! Make sure you enter the coupon code too.
You may be able to get a better deal if you look long and hard, but it won't be much better. This is generally a great way to get the best deal no matter where you are going and when.
Advantages of a Big Family
There are SO many advantages to having a big family. First of all, every child after the first is "cheaper" so to speak. Clothes can be passed down, you get multi child discounts, and adding another is NOTHING like having your first. If you are a stay at home mom, formula and diapers are your largest investment.
Being from a large family is good for the kids. We rarely have problems that single children families have. The kids are brought up sharing. While there are bouts of jealousy, we rarely have temper tantrums for things they want after the age of 2 or so. All of the children are more self sufficient than many.
Being a blended family, we have 3 big boys, 14,11, and 8 (my 14 year old stepson lives with his mother out of state), and 2 little boys- 17 months and 5 months. The little guys never miss out on attention as there are 4 people to cater to them, and the big guys love having their baby brothers around. The big boys will be family men when they grow up because they already know how to take care of children.
With 5 boys, if one needs help, there are 4 more that will be there for them. When we get old, chances are much better one will be around to help us too. We spend about as much as my sister spends on her child as we do on all four, if not less, due to me being a stay at home mom, and when I was working, we worked opposite shifts. Daycare is very cost prohibitive. This is the biggest consideration when you decide to have children. If you do not have to pay for daycare, there are more advantages to having a large family than disadvantages.
Watching your children grow and thrive is a great thing. I would not have my family any smaller if given the chance. Lots of kids are lots of fun and lots of love.
Being from a large family is good for the kids. We rarely have problems that single children families have. The kids are brought up sharing. While there are bouts of jealousy, we rarely have temper tantrums for things they want after the age of 2 or so. All of the children are more self sufficient than many.
Being a blended family, we have 3 big boys, 14,11, and 8 (my 14 year old stepson lives with his mother out of state), and 2 little boys- 17 months and 5 months. The little guys never miss out on attention as there are 4 people to cater to them, and the big guys love having their baby brothers around. The big boys will be family men when they grow up because they already know how to take care of children.
With 5 boys, if one needs help, there are 4 more that will be there for them. When we get old, chances are much better one will be around to help us too. We spend about as much as my sister spends on her child as we do on all four, if not less, due to me being a stay at home mom, and when I was working, we worked opposite shifts. Daycare is very cost prohibitive. This is the biggest consideration when you decide to have children. If you do not have to pay for daycare, there are more advantages to having a large family than disadvantages.
Watching your children grow and thrive is a great thing. I would not have my family any smaller if given the chance. Lots of kids are lots of fun and lots of love.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Backyard Chickens
I am actually talking about chicken. I was very hesitant about pursuing this as the idea of cutting off a chicken's head was just too much for me. Then I found out I was not alone. Many counties, even in city limits allow you to raise chickens, including Tampa. Once you are completely set up, you can raise you own chickens for virtually nothing. Once you build a chicken coop, you will only have to feed them, and if you are like me, pay a butcher a couple bucks to take care of the "dirty work". In the meantime, you have a fresh steady supply of eggs. For food, you can fulfill most of their needs with making your own worm bin, and then throw in kitchen scraps or let them "free range" in your yard. If you do your homework, and eat as much chicken as we do, you can save a significant amount off your grocery bill.
No yard or chickens illegal in your area? Look into quail. They are a delicacy and also an save you a lot of money on your grocery bill. They provide eggs, just like chicken, only their eggs are smaller (about 3-4 equal a chicken egg).
No yard or chickens illegal in your area? Look into quail. They are a delicacy and also an save you a lot of money on your grocery bill. They provide eggs, just like chicken, only their eggs are smaller (about 3-4 equal a chicken egg).
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