A great way to save money on pricey prepackaged or pre-blended spice mixes is by making your own. Homemade seasonings can be customized to suit your personal preferences and taste better too. Be sure to check out my latest article over at Home Made Simple for detailed instructions on how to make your own seasoned salt, chili powder, ranch seasoning, and lemon pepper, plus tips on how to store your spices! Read the full article here. Pin It
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I have been drooling over all sorts of awesome repurposed pallet projects on Pinterest for a while now. In fact, I even started my own Pinterest board dedicated solely to my love of pallets. There is just something so appealing about rough, weathered wood that is completely FREE! For Trouble’s beachy mermaid party I decided to take advantage of the abundance of free pallets available at a local business to create some beautiful upcycled pallet art that we would be able to enjoy long after the party was done. This was definitely a collaborative project between Husband and I–he did all the hard labor of disassembling then re-assembling the pallets, while ... read more
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Happy Sunday and a happy, happy Father’s Day to all you awesome dads out there! I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend! Choosing my favorites seems to get harder every weekend, but here are a few of the posts I loved: * * * First of all, I was completely captivated by this tutorial on how to preserve lemons from Essentially Eclectic. I’ve never even heard of such a thing but now I am determined to give it a try. And speaking of lemons (my favorite!), this Lemon Pudding Poke Cake from Life with the Crust Cut Off looked absolutely delicious. Mmmmmmm….lemons….. I loved this Simple Fabric ... read more
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Few subjects can start a fight faster than talking about money. It doesn’t seem to matter how carefully the topic is raised: The second the money card is played, everyone seems to be on edge. Accusations of carelessness and being too controlling creep into the argument, and, suddenly, what started out so innocently can explode into all-out war. At some point, couples have to talk about money if they want to stay together (and don’t want to go broke). While every couple is different, the five simple tips for talking to your spouse about money I recently shared over at P&G Everyday might serve you as a good place to ... read more
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Am I the only one who is completely awed by the miracle of this little technological wonder called the Smart Phone? How can one little handheld device do so much? Besides being a stylish fashion accessory, my phone is simultaneously a camera, internet browser, radio, GPS, e-reader, and note-taker. It even turns into a flashlight, should I ever need it. I will readily admit that with all the amazing features of these little gizmos there is a serious temptation to spend every waking moment staring at that little screen. That said, I still think there are too many helpful & money-saving apps available not to take advantage of at least some ... read more
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Welcome back to Thrifty Thursday! I hope you are all having an absolutely wonderful week. I am always excited to see what great budget-friendly recipes, craft projects, money-saving tips, & other fun ideas you have to share. Don’t forget to follow our new Thrifty Thursday @ LWSL Pinterest Board! It is a group board so if you would like to be added, just email me at Ruth@LivingWellSpendingLess.com for an invitation (be sure to include your Pinterest user name in the email), and I will happily add you! Here are the most clicked links from last week: 1. Mission to Save {Ways to Save at a Restaurant} 2. Penny’s Vintage Home {Refreshing ... read more
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Oh, the cake! I knew as soon as we decided on a mermaid theme for Trouble’s 4th birthday that a sand castle cake would be perfect. I had seen a few really photos on Pinterest, I just couldn’t find any detailed instructions. Since paying hundreds of dollars for a professionally decorated cake was out of the question, I decided to go with plan B: wing it! I kinda prefer plan B anyways. Let me just start by saying that I am not a professional baker, or even anything close to it, but what I lack in technical skill I make up for with sheer determination. I’m not going to lie, ... read more
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This is a guest post by Angela of Angela Says: Tips for a Cleaner Home Too many times have I called a repairman out to fix something in my house and found out it was something really dumb, that I could have fixed myself causing the problem. For example, the dishwasher was leaking and not cleaning the dishes very well. The repairman looked at it for ten seconds, pointed at the top spray arm, and then said, “See this hose connected to the spray arm? It needs to be in the little holder ring.” Snapped the hose back into place then charged me $65 for fixing my dishwasher. That fix ... read more
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I can’t wait to start sharing all my projects from Trouble’s Beachy Mermaid Party! It was such a fun party to throw, and now that it is over I am thrilled to have some great home decor left over to give my house a casual summer beach house vibe. These burlap wreaths were ridiculously easy to make and I absolutely adore them! The best part is that when summer is over I can swap out the starfish for something a little more fall-ish, with almost no effort at all. The burlap garland made this project especially painless. At first I thought about just cutting regular burlap into strips, but this ... read more
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Happy Sunday! I hope you are all having wonderful weekend! Once again I loved all your summer-themed recipes & ideas–especially all the fresh & yummy looking salads! It is always hard to choose, but here are a few of my favorites: * * * First of all, this Simple Greek Salad dressing from Real Food Enthusiast had my mouth watering! This fresh watermelon salad from Sara Howe also looked absolutely divine! I think even my kids would eat this! This Tomato, Cucumber and Mozzarella Salad from I Got This Martha looks delicious too! Next, meal planning is always something I need to work at, so I really loved this ... read more
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Warmer temperatures and longer days are the perfect excuse for moving your next party outdoors—a shift that means less prep work and easier cleanup, too. Check out these 25 splendid outdoor entertaining ideas, my latest article over at Home Made Simple, to make your next outdoor celebration even better! Read the full article here. Pin It
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In the grand scheme of things, I suppose I’m really not that old yet, but I have to admit, sometimes I look at the world around me and I feel old. What happened to the “good old days,” that time before every moment of our life was consumed by the need to do something or go somewhere, before e-mail and texting and Facebook took the place of actual conversations, before a culture of overspending and celebrity worship and instant gratification? I don’t actually know if it has existed in my lifetime, but I long for a time when life was slower, safer, and just a little simpler, when a person’s word ... read more
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Welcome back to Thrifty Thursday! I hope you are all having a fabulous week, and I once again can’t wait to see what great budget-friendly recipes, craft projects, money-saving tips, & other fun ideas you have to share. Are y’all on Pinterest? Be sure to follow our new Thrifty Thursday @ LWSL Pinterest Board! It is a group board so if you would like to be added, just email me at Ruth@LivingWellSpendingLess.com for an invitation, and I will happily add you! Here are the most clicked links from last week: 1. Snail’s Pace Transformation {10 Ways Thrifty People Have Fun in the Sun} 2. Taylor-Made Ranch {Using Vintage Corning Ware} 3. ... read more
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This is the once-a-year post where I get to gush for a few minutes while my mommy heart swells with pride. Just bear with me for a moment and I promise I’ll try not to go on too long. The truth is that being a “dance mom” is a role I never in a million years expected to play. I am 6’2″ and, having been tall and awkward my entire life, have always lacked a certain grace and rhythm that other girls seem to have. I normally avoid dancing like the plague. I’m not joking when I say that clapping in time during church is a stretch. Not surprisingly, I ... read more
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I am absolutely thrilled to introduce you to Qubie, our featured site sponsor for June. If you’ve been reading this site for a while, or if you learned to coupon using my Beginner’s Guide to Coupons, you might already be familiar with this little gem of a company, since I have been talking about my Qubie binder for a very long time now. For those of us who use and love coupons AND love to be organized, Qubie is a godsend. It is a 3-part coupon binder system that allows you to organize ALL your loose coupons, from grocery coupons in the large binder, to retail & restaurant coupons in ... read more
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