Christmas Gift For the Hurting

 

When you think of Christmas, most of us think of spending time with our families, joy, gifts, and all of the other great stuff that the holidays bring.

But, what if you just lost a loved one or you are struggling to make it to tomorrow...how can you celebrate Christmas when you are suffering?

There are so many people out there that are not able to enjoy Christmas (or many other days).

Crystal over at MoneySavingMom, one of the blogs I regularly read, is offering a very generous gift to anyone that is hurting or suffering this Christmas.

She wrote about an eBook this morning called '12 Days of Christmas for the Hurting'. It is on sale right now for only $0.99.

But, if you can not afford a copy and would like one, she is offering to give you one for free if you send her your email address.

How generous is that? That is true holiday spirit in my book!

If you know someone that would benefit from this healing book, please share this with them. It could change their life this Christmas!

Make Money With Your Phone

Have you heard about Ibotta?

It's an app for the iPhone that actually PAYS you to use it! For real...I downloaded it last week and I just deposited $7.50 into my PayPal account today.

Your not going to get rich with it, but that $7.50 will pay for a pack of diapers for the week!

How it works:

• Choose any of the products that you plan to buy at the store and click on the earning opportunities and watch the videos, take the quick surveys, or read the information to add the cash to your account.

• Buy the product at an approved retailer (Wal-Mart and Publix is on the list!)

• Take a picture of your receipt when you get home and your cash will be added to your account.

• You can transfer your cash to your Paypal account whenever you want to cash out. (You have to have at least $5).

Here is a list of stores that you can use to buy the offered products:

 

Using this app is really simple, and I was surprised at how fast I earned money!

 

 

Right now, you can get a free $5 added to your account when you sign up as a new user! Just complete your first offer and the $5 will be added to your account. This is a limited time offer, so GO SIGN UP and start making a little extra money! :)

 



 

Florida Snow

It was 78 degrees here in Florida today, but can you believe...it snowed!

 

 

I made some pretend snow for my three year old son and he had a great time playing with it :)

 

I couldn't find a recipe online, so I just came up with my own after mixing a few different things together.

 



Recipe

1 cup of Baby Powder or Corn Starch

5 tablespoons of Baking Soda

3 tablespoons of Oil (vegetable, olive, or other oil)

1/4* cup of Water

 

I started out with 1/4 cup of water, but I added a little more because it seemed too dry. Just add enough water so it sticks together, but not too much or it will "melt". To test it out, make a ball, let it sit for a few seconds in your hand and if it melts, you put too much water. Just add a little more powder/water until you get it right.

 

 

My son and his friend had a blast making snowmen and snow-pie to go along with their grass salad. It doesn't take much to spark some creative thinking :)

 

If you don't have these ingredients, just use what you have. Don't be afraid to experiment. It really doesn't take much to make something awesome for kids to play with. Just some simple flour play dough can make for hours of fun!

 

What is your children's favorite homemade concoctions?

 







Frozen Onions & Pumpkin

I hate when I buy food and it goes bad before we eat it. I am sure I'm not alone here.

My fix: Freezing food to use later. I know, I know, this is not a new idea, but I just recently started doing it because I was tired of wasting money on food that just goes bad.

I had some onions that were getting kinda old, so I decided to chop them up and freeze them in separate, serving-size bags. I also had 2 pumpkins from my Thanksgiving decorations that I decided to cook and save to use in baked stuff (or whatever else I could find to use pumpkin for).

 



I like to use onions when I cook certain things, but I don't use them up fast enough when I buy a big bag. If I chop them up, I can put them in little bags to freeze and then when I need some, they are already chopped and ready to cook with.

Freezing raw onions like this is only good if you plan on cooking them later (for soup and stuff). They aren't good to use raw after you freeze them in like salads or anything. They get watery and soft. SO, only freeze chopped onions to use when you cook them :)

This is my pumpkin. I had 2 pie size pumpkins I used for my Fall decorations and I just couldn't throw them out. So, I chopped them up, boiled them, and mashed them. I put it in serving-size bags so I can use it when I bake. Pumpkin puree is great to use in baked stuff like cookies and even pancakes. AND...it's healthy :)

If you want to learn more about freezing food to use later, I would recommend checking out MoneySavingMom's Freezer Cooking 101. She has a TON of recipes that you can make ahead of time and freeze to use later. And also explains the benefits of "Freezer Cooking"

I have tried a few freezer cooking recipes. So far, my favorite is pancakes. My son loves pancakes for breakfast, so making a bunch one day and freezing them to use when I don't feel like making them (which is often) works out really well. It's better than buying frozen, pre-made pancakes from the store. Mine are much more healthy :)



Creatively Free Christmas Ideas

 

TheBetterMom.com has a huge list of 75+ Christmas Freebies. The list includes things like printables, homemade gifts, and free ebooks. Check it out for lots of great (and creative) ideas to save some money this Christmas.

Give $10

Give $10 from Restaurants.com

 

 

Right now, you can give a $10 eCard from Restaurants.com to (it looks like) as many of your friends as you want. This would be a nice little Christmas gift that wouldn't cost you anything!