All Posts By

Nicole

Throwback Thursdays: Homemade Easy Bake Oven Chocolate Cake Mix & Frosting Kits, For Only $0.20!

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Good evening, savvy savers! For this weeks Throwback Thursday, I wanted to bring you a recipe that was very near and dear to my heart as a child, and even now as an adult, my Homemade Easy Bake Oven Chocolate Cake Mix and Icing recipe! As a child of the early 1990′s, I was always torn between playing with my skip-it, togs, watching Full House reruns, or baking with my Easy Bake Oven, but the baking usually won out! What’s cool about this recipe is that you can make kits, storing the mix and icing in smaller snack-sized baggies, labeled, then placed into larger sandwich bags, frozen, and labeled for use later with the Easy Bake Oven! You will save 98% off retail price with this idea; my kits are priced under $0.20 a kit!

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This recipe is super simple, easy on the budget, and takes awesome, if I do say so myself!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Easy Bake Chocolate Cake Mix Recipe:

Ingredients:

6 teaspoons flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa (for vanilla cake, use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla instead)
3/4 teaspoon shortening
1 Pinch salt
6 teaspoons milk

Instructions:

1) Mix all dry ingredients, slowly.
2) Add milk.
3) Pour batter into greased baking pan that
comes with the toy oven.
4) Bake as directed in children’s oven.

Easy Bake Oven Icing Recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cups confectioners sugar — sifted
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Instructions:

1) Combine all ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs.
2) Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into each of 9 small containers or ziplock bags and seal tightly.
3) Label with date and contents.
4) Store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. Makes 9 packages of Frosting.
5) Can also be frozen; up to 12 months, labeled.

Weekly Menu: Feeding A Family of 4, For Only $18.72 This Week!

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Happy Monday, savvy savers! This week is starting off to a balmy start here in Dixie. Thankfully, this weeks menu is going to be a breeze, and consists of Cupboard Clearing ideas, so stepping out to the market is not necessary! I am cooking and prepping solely from what is in my deep freeze pantry, and stockpile this week! Without further ado, here is my weekly menu, for which was derived from couponing deals, freebies, and cupboard cooking; I will be feeding a family of four this week for only $18.72!

This week we will be having:

Monday
Breakfast: Homemade Greek Yogurt Smoothies, with Apple Juice.
Lunch: Pepperoni and Cheese Toasted sandwiches, sweet potato chips, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Almonds, Grapes, and String Cheese.
Dinner:  Crockpot Chicken Mole, Green Beans, Steamed Corn, with Tortillas, and Diet Cola.
Dessert:  Crockpot Dulce de Leche Topped Ice Cream Sundaes.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal of Choice, Milk, and Homemade Dehydrated Apple Slices
Lunch: Freezer Cooking Stuffed Peppers, crackers, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Taco Tuesdays!
Dessert: Key Lime Cookies.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Baked Frittata Cups, with milk and juice.
Lunch: Taco Salads, with crystal light.
Snack: Grapes and apple slices.
Dinner: Crockpot Chicken Curry, steamed corn, and crystal light.
Dessert: Homemade brownies.

Thursday
Breakfast: Cereal of choice, with fruit cup, and milk.
Lunch: Tossed Salad with Turkey, Crystal Light, and homemade mango chips.
Snack: Hummus and crackers, with grapes.
Dinner: Grilled Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries, Deviled Eggs, with Crystal Light.
Dessert: Brownie flurries with leftover brownies.

Friday
Breakfast: Turkey, Cheese, and Egg Quesadillas, with Apple Juice.
Lunch: Tossed salad, with walnuts, grapes, and  homemade Greek Yogurt dressing.
Snack: Granola and fruit cup.
Dinner: Barbeque Pork and Mushroom Sliders, Baked Sweet Potato Fries, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Coca-Cola slushies.

Saturday
Breakfast: Bakes Pancakes, with sausage, and milk.
Lunch: Grilled Chicken sandwiches, with Sweet Potato chips, and Crystal Light.
Snacks: String Cheese and grapes.
Dinner: Homemade Pizzas, with tossed salad, and lemonade.
Dessert: Carrot Cake Cupcakes, with homemade cream cheese icing.

Sunday
Breakfast: Bacon and Egg Sliders, and milk.
Lunch: Taking Mom out for lunch!
Snack: Grapes and walnuts.
Dinner: Crockpot Orange Chicken with Almonds, Steamed Snow Peas, and crystal light.
Dessert:  Day Red Velvet Cupcakes, with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Icing.

Enjoy the ideas!

Weekly Reflections: Highs And Lows From This Week & Weekly Goals For The Week Ahead, 6/15-6/22!

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Hello again, savvy savers! I wanted to end my weekly posts by bring the week to a close with a post about the reflections on this past week.

The highs for the week:

Losing two pounds.
Trying to expand my family!
The ongoing repurposing of two rooms in my home.
Continuing a daily devotional.

My lows for the week:

Preparing for a family member leaving our home to live with relatives. Though this is a needed transition, change can be difficult, travel expensive, and feelings are still the hardest casualty of all!

My quote for the week:

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his. -Unknown

My inspiration for the week:

Being able to recycle 90% of my weekly trash!

My humor for the week:

Catching myself singing out loud, being caught doing so, and not even caring!

Goals For The Coming Week:

Lose 1 pound, organize my insurance records, organize my will, walk the dogs 1/2 mile a day, have all blog assignments done on time, finish four product and boxed subscription reviews, oil paint for a few hours, take one hour for myself each night, and sleep 7 hours nightly!

Happy Sunday!

Weekly Gardening Update, 6/22!

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Happy Sunday, everyone! Here is this weeks gardening update!

This weeks Gardening Update revolved around my $1.00 rose bushes from Fred’s Super Dollar have thus far produced some of the most beautiful roses I have ever grown, as seen above. They are just so lovely, and I will be giving some today to my neighbors as a little community happy gift! I also love my free lattice, as it was recycled from discarded pallets, and works just as well as anything purchased at my local supercenter! I feed my roses a special homemade blend, which i will be blogging about in the weeks to come!

Here’s to next week!

Argan Oil: Quick Guide to Best Uses of Argan Oil for Hair, Skin and Nails, Kindle Edition, by Ana Valeri

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Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with another great book review, and this time its, Argan Oil: Quick Guide to Best Uses of Argan Oil for Hair, Skin and Nails, Kindle Edition, by Ana Valeri. This book is an easy-to-read, all-inclusive, educational, volume illustrating all of the medicinal and home uses for Argon Oil. This concise book, also carefully outlines the ancient and modern uses for this miracle oil as well, in such a way to  for the amazing all-natural, organic oil. What I like most about this edition is the no-thrill, anti-hype examples of how this oil can help common skin ailments, scalp treatments, as well as awesome home spa techniques as well. This natural oil is unlike any other in my medicine cabinet or kitchen pantry–it has a rare ability to repair, restore, renew, prevent and heal skin, hair and nails! You owe it to yourself to at least try this product. However, I highly recommend reading this book first to fully appreciate the value of it.

To find out more about this book, click here. 

What’s even better is that you now have a chance to win a free copy of this book and full-sized bottle of argon oil! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter entry bocx below! This giveaway will end on 6/27/14 at 11:59pm CST! Good luck, everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Wednesday Ways To Save: Ways To Save At Petco!

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For this weeks Wednesday Ways To Save, I want to discuss some of the ways I shop at my favorite pet store, Petco! Here a few tips to save at Petco:

1) Sign-up for the Petco Rewards Card, you will earn 5% cash back on every purchase, a $5 certificate when you spend $100, and receive special coupons. Sign up here! 

2) Check out Petco’s online coupons here! 

3) Petco has an awesome price-match policy! 

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 According to their official online corporate price-match policy, they state that they will price match any local ad within a 20-mile radius of their store. Also, as of May 1st, they will also accept Amazon.com price-matching, via mobile devices! How awesome is that? As Amazon’s awesome Subscribe & Save Program often delves out awesome pet treat, food, and litter deals, this should come in very handy when price matching at your local Petco!

5) During the holidays be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Holiday calendars, priced around $8.00, which have coupon packs valued at over $50.00 each calendar, and a portion of the proceeds go to the Petco Animal Foundation.

6) Be sure to check out the various managers specials around the store; stores can be combined with manufacturer and store coupons, newspaper, printed, and the like. The special will be marked with orange labels, and though many of the products are starting to expire, they can be bagged in ziplock bags, and frozen up to a year. Check out some of the current sales below:

So, there are a few ways I save at Petco! If you are a Petco shopper, please leave me a comment below and let me know the ways you save as well!

Misty