Brick and mortar stores have simple gifts CHEAP. When I say cheap, I mean that they have learned that gift baskets or sets are used in abundance. However they have put together either the cheapest products at what may seem like a reasonable price or have put a few choice pieces together at a premium price; neither of which are personal or make for a classy gift. Here is a list of easy to put together handmade gifts which have a minimal investment, but have a classy and personal touch for all the people on your Christmas list.
Bagel/Pita Chips
Biscotti
Felt board pieces
Coffee Spoons
Meat Rubs
Pre-decorated scrapbook
Popcorn Seasonings
Sachets
No-sew scarves
Herbal teas
Instant oatmeal packets
Cookies & cocoa
Note cards
Recipe scrapbook
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
This is can be a crazy time of year. You may need to alter your schedule to accommodate those activities that you don’t have on your calendar at other times of the year. One thing you don’t want to skimp on is breakfast, since it is the meal that may very well get your family through the day, while keeping the tummy grumblies at bay. But putting together a breakfast that is warm, nutritious and tummy filling can be a challenge. Those little instant oatmeal packets are an excellent way to meet all those needs. But if you want to simplify AND be frugal with your breakfast consider making your own instant oatmeal. It’s simple and frugal!
Instant Oatmeal
4 c instant oatmeal (available for pennies at bulk food stores)
1 c brown sugar
OR
1 c sugar (sucanat & trubinado work, too) + 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
Place ingredients in a large zip style plastic. Shake to mix.
Pinch of salt
When ready to make breakfast, place ¼ c mix in a microwave safe bowl with ½ water. Heat 3 minutes. Stir and allow cooling for a few minutes. Alter to suit taste.
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
Tags for Christmas packages can be fairly costly, but it is important to label each package properly so each recipient gets their intended gift, right? Well, I have a few tips on how to keep the cost of these items to a minimum.
Consider making your own labels. A little sticker on an address label, children drawing on address labels, etc will make the most adorable unique and personal labels for your gifts
USe last years Christmas cards. Each year I have a few cards left over from the previous year,s mailing. I also save the fronts of all cards sent to us. These make excellent and FREE labels. Use a hole punch so you can attach with packaging ribbon or simply adhere with tape on one corner. Sign the back and you have a FREE Gift Label.
Use a photo. We all have photos that have been printed that we will never use in a scrapbook, photo album, or frame. Punch a hole in a corner and attach as above. Sign the back and a little line about what the picture is. People really enjoy these labels. They aren't free because you paid at some point to have the pics printed, but they cost nothing extra. These are always a big hit with our friends and family.
Happy Gifting!
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
Recently, I was speaking about handmade Christmas gifts that really make the grade so to speak. I know there are times when we get and give those gifts and think, Ok that was nice, but they just don’t have that extra pizzazz, ya know? However, one of the things I brought up was that it isn’t just the gift. If you are including handmade gifts this year, that may not themselves be personal, such as pot holders, gifts in a jar, flavored oils & vinegars, and other gifts you may make multiples of, you can make each of those gifts intimately personal for each recipient with little time and money!
Consider the wrapping or packaging. There are so many ways to personalize a gift that is truly from the heart and lets the recipient know that you are thinking specifically of him/her. For some FANTASTIC ideas for frugal wrapping Check Out This Link. It is filled with creative and fresh ideas that will get your creative juices flowing as to how you can personalize every gift this year for pennies!
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
Don’t you love the ease of shaving with your favorite shaving cream or lotion? Well, you can get that simple time saver for less!
When your shaving cream or lotion runs out, don’t replace it. Instead use olive oil! Olive oil is a bit thicker than other oils, but also provides essential moisture to your skin. Rub it on your leg and shave as usual. If this seems like the end of this frugal practice, hold on, because you will also save on your moisturizing lotion. When you use olive oil in place of shaving cream, you won’t need to moisturize your skin afterwards. DOUBLE SAVINGS!
This tip works with men as well, and since olive oil doesn’t have an odor, no purchasing of separate products. Now that is a simply frugal savings!
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
With Thanksgiving approaching quickly it is time to assess your turkey needs. There are a few helpful tips that can keep your Thanksgiving meal budget in line and help you trim the food budget after the meal without making your family tired of looking at turkey to the point they hope that you are going to serve mac and cheese only next year for Thanksgiving!
Plan ahead. Turkey can make a great meal! BUT your family will be tired of turkey leftovers so that by Christmas you have already gained 10 pounds if you are serving leftovers several times a week! However, when you learn some turkey tips on how to stretch a turkey you can offer it throughout the entire winter without your family being bored! Also, in your planning turkey can be VERY cheap, but you have to know the best price and prepare to have freezer space to store a few turkeys for the entire season. This couldn’t be simpler!
Learn alternate ways of preparing leftovers and strip your turkey on Thanksgiving or the day afterwards. I typically do this the day afterwards. With my plan in hand I can get that leftover meat ready to for the freezer for meals later in the winter. Cooked turkey can be shredded or ground in your food processor to replace ground meat for a wide variety of recipes. Doing this can not only stretch the use of the turkey, but also a cleverly frugal mom can disguise the ground turkey so that her family doesn’t feel as though they are eating turkey.
Make plenty of soup stock with the carcass of your turkey. Most people use the carcass once and then throw it away. However, I have found that I can move the turkey carcass to three different Dutch ovens (one after the other is a great way to get it done at one time) and have an abundance of delicious stock! Do this each time you make one of those turkeys in your freezer and you will have stock on hand for the entire winter! Simple and frugal.
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
Before I get into the post, please remember to Get Out and VOTE Today!
As unwelcomed as it may be in the hearts of many, Christmas officially begins in early to mid October. While we don’t want to see this, it does have a simple and frugal benefit.
The fact is, right now Christmas is IN. This means that autumn is on its way out. Most stores have autumn décor items on clearance already. Think ahead for the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration. Take an inventory of items you may need to acquire, such as linens, place settings, or those wonderful accents that can make a table change from drab to dramatic. Head to the store and see what you can scoop up. Be certain to look for items that are simple enough to be incorporated with the items you already own. Autumn color schemes are usually similar enough that you can mix and match for a low-cost. Don’t wait too long, though. In the next week you may not be able find much available. So get some unparalleled autumn décor savings today!
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
One thing we used to struggle with in the autumn was half eaten apples. The autumn brings big delicious apples in abundance and at a great price. However, my kids rarely can eat an entire one of these large beauties. When I would slice up half an apple, they didn’t want to eat the other half later because of browning. I would spread a bit of lemon juice on the cut portion of the apple to prevent it from browning and it will still remain uneaten. So what’s a mom to do. If you end up with half eaten or used apples, have no fear; you do not have to discard those delicious fruits!
Cut and un-eaten apple flesh away and save in a container. At the end of the week, make a fresh batch of applesauce. This will not make a tremendous amount of applesauce, but it will be enough to accompany a breakfast item. It can be spread on toast and sprinkled with a bit of cinnamon. Or you can use a dollop on top of a bowl of oatmeal.
Cut unused apples into smaller chunks. Place chunks in small ceramic tart bowls or mugs. Sprinkles some cinnamon and sugar and top with oatmeal (ground into crumbs). Place a few pieces of butter on top. Cover with plastic wrap. When ready to use, remove plastic wrap and cover with paper towel. Place in microwave and cook on high for 3-5 minutes (depending on size of cup and amount of apples).
Slice uneaten apple. Melt butter in a small frying pan. Place apple slices in. Heat on medium for 1-2 minutes and flip. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Makes a GREAT breakfast or snack!
Buono Appetito!
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visither blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
One thing that has plagued me for years about organizing plastic kitchen storage containers such as Tupperware and Rubbermaid, is those pesky lids. I don’t know what happens at your home, but they keep coming up with these organizing “gimmick”, such as interlocking lids, and that is NOT a help. When my children put dishes away, they will stack the plastic containers inside one another, but those pesky lids they don’t take the time to put them together according to size and shape. I have tried a variety of solutions over the years. For a while we stored lids in Zip style bags, by size. That actually worked for a while, but then my children became lazy about putting lids away in the right bag and the bag sides finally ripped. We use baskets and other containers in which we could just through the lids, but that takes up precious cupboard space. So, with the gauntlet thrown down, I was determined to sold the problem once and for all.
The criteria for a solution were:
Take as little space as possible
Allow for lids of all shapes and sizes to be stored
Easy access
After about 2 weeks of brainstorming and trial and error, I came up with a solution that worked AND met all of the above criteria!
Materials Needed:
2-4 plastic single piece silverware plastic storage basket; the lg skinny type (I got mine at the Dollar Tree)
6-8 screws(2 for each storage basket) that are the right length to be screwed into the door of your cabinet, but will not go through the other side
For each cupboard door, you will screw two of these little baskets to the door. Place one of the largest lids in the basket to determine the placement of the basket. Then place the next one above or below that to hold smaller lids.
My cupboard has 2 doors, so I was able to use 4 of these little baskets. Now, when we put our lids away, we only need to open the door and slip them in the baskets. But THE best part of this idea is that I was able to free up space inside the cupboard. Mission Accomplished!
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visither blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
I so enjoy talking with moms about ways they find to be frugal while raising their families. Some topics that come to mind are toys, games, clothes, shoes, curriculum, field trips, chores, art projects, and car schooling. Here are some tips on stretching your dollar with children from my vault.
Kids only require 2 glasses of milk a day. Less if they are eating cheese within the same day. Instead of giving milk every time they ask for a drink (or juice for that matter) give them water. It is good for them; it's FREE; and it creates an excellent health habit for their future.
Next time you make pancakes, make extra. You can freeze these and reheat in the toaster. Pancakes rarely last out the day in our home, unless I make a Pancake Cooking Fest. Why? I have taught my kids to use pancakes for treats. Spread on jam, peanut butter, honey, or fluff. Make chocolate chip pancakes and serve the leftovers later in the day cold.
Fresh fruit and veggies are less expensive than premade processed snacks AND they pack a powerful nutritional punch. Get kids to eat these as snacks by cutting them into small pieces. My kids especially love veggies cut on an angle. Kids, who aren't required to eat fresh food on a regular basis, often don't develop a taste for it.
Buy nuts in bulk at a whole foods or bulk store. These are a great source of protein, and your kids will enjoy the crunch.
Change these nuts into an even more fun snack by baking in the toaster oven with honey or brown sugar drizzled on top.
Make your own granola. It is not only so easy, but it is SOOOO CHEAP! It keeps for a long time, travels well, and is a great source of nutrition.
Make homemade versions of playdoh, glue, and paper mache paste.
Try thrift stores for play shoes. You can often buy a few pairs for the price of one new pair (great if you have a fashion conscious child).
If you don't want the kids to take toys outside, thrift stores again, come in handy for cheap options.
Check your local stores for end of the season items at rock bottom prices. I always go to Old Navy the week after Halloween for really cheap costumes. My kids have a HUGE box full of dress up clothes that probably cost me no more than $20....mind you some of the costumes have been around since my oldest was a littleton (he's 15 now). Oh dear, there are even a couple of costumes left from when I was a kid!
Kids begging for an evening treat, try making smoothies. It's not just a good way to get your kids to eat more fruit; it is an excellent way to use up fruit that is past its prime, thus saving you from throwing it out. Also great for breakfast on the go!
Use old newborn baby clothes for dolls.
Instead of buying toys for gifts, consider making some. I have actually done a few Christmases in which I have made all the toys by hand (i.e doll high chair, horse head on a stick, doll house, blocks, fun pillow cases, puppets, puppet stage, etc) Start by looking around your home for items that you would like to use for a cause and let your creative mind go to work on how to turn them into something special for your children.
Being frugal with children can be difficult at times. Don't fret if you give in and buy a DVD from time to time. Like any other area of saving, if you are keeping your goal and your focus on being a good steward of your money, a splurge here or there is nothing more than that.
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking.
For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visither blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
Does it ever confuse you why green living can be so complicated? Some practices are almost a deterrent from incorporating this into our lifestyles. I have found that I desire to use green practices, but not at the cost of sacrificing my simple life practices. But there is one good thing that keeps me from feeling guilty, simple living often incorporates green living by its essence. Having less, means less garbage, less waste, less cleaning products to care for stuff, less time to care for stuff, less stuff to replace, etc. But how can you do more when you are already struggling to incorporate my simple living practices into your life?
Be thoughtful before you purchase an item. Do you need it? How will it affect the environment and now and in the future? Will there be continuing resources to purchase with using the product? Is there an environmentally friendly way to do this? Some products are now environmentally friendly due to companies making it easy for you. Refillable items, sold in recycled easily disposable items that are poured into a permanently re-usable dispenser are a great example of this. Technology companies often offer an easy method to recycle items such as ink cartridges and batteries by including prepaid envelopes to send the old and empty containers back to them in.
Wash your clothes in cold water only. This completely eliminates the heating of water. I have not found any significant difference in the cleanliness or stain removal of our clothing. I have not used warm or hot water for years. Once you get into this practice, if you have to purchase a new washer, you can often save money by purchasing a model that has fewer options. Additionally, with cold water I have noticed that I can use significantly less detergent to clean a load of laundry.
If at all possible, try carpooling for different activities. Even if you can’t use this practice every day, try finding ways to incorporate carpooling one or two days per week. You will save money, and be able save the environment at the same time. When you can’t carpool, consider sharing errands with a friend or neighbor. If you and a friend both have a designated errand day, that fall on different days, call each other the night before to ask if the other needs anything. This will help eliminate the need for you to make an extra trip out for some forgotten, but needed item for you AND your friend. This saves, time, gas, and emissions!
There are lots of ways to being incorporating green practices into your life style in a simple way. As with other simple living practices, don’t wait, and get started today, with just one idea that you can change this month!
These are my thoughts.
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking.
For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visither blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
Hello all! I apologize (again) for being so scarce here lately. I have many a post written in my head to share with you but can't seem find the time or energy to get it into the computer. Ah, such is life.
Chas asked me the other day how I made Apple Cider Vinegar since she has been blessed recently with an abundance. Apple Cider Vinegar is very simple and can be made with the leftover peels and cores from other apple-making projects.
I've written these very simple Apple Cider Vinegar making instruction here. So go ahead and try it. This vinegar is not as strong as true cider vinegar made from cider (i.e. apple juice) but it does the trick and costs a lot less than the vinegars at the grocery store! Enjoy!
Kristin Hoffman homesteads with her family in the hills of East Tennessee and blogs about alternative energy, family farming, and home schooling with her husband at www.solarfamilyfarm.com. She can also be found cooking in the kitchen with her homemade apple cider vinegar.
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Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!) Of course, don’t forget to visit the Simple Journey Bookstore!
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog 
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog 
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog 
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog 
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas.
