Frugal Creativity

Extra Savings: Coupon Code for DisneyOutlet.com

2010-03-11T06:23:00.000-05:00

DisneyOutlet.com has some bargains, all the time, but I wanted to pass along this code for an extra 20% discount, sitewide. Take an Extra 20% Off Sitewide at DisneyOutlet.com with Promo Code: OUTLET20 Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole (Recipe)

2010-03-11T06:21:00.012-05:00

I mentioned this on Menu Plan Monday and promised to post the recipe. Here it is! We like chiles rellenos from the Mexican restaurant. Who wouldn't like a mild chile pepper that's stuffed with cheese, battered, and deep fried? But to save money and "healthify" the dish a bit, we decided to try making it at home. This is adapted from a recipe I found online years ago. I'll list the ingredients from the original recipe, then list the changes that worked well...

Bluegala Party Dress Giveaway

2010-03-10T06:16:00.003-05:00

Have you seen the Cocktail and Party Dresses at Bluegala? Right now Bluegala is featuring prom dresses, but they also offer dresses--both long and short--for many other occasions. Now, my prom days are long behind me, and the Mother of the Bride dresses are more my style. But even if I can't wear them, I like quite a few of the other dresses on the Bluegala site. Some of them are a bit revealing for my preferences, but there are a lot of good choices,...

Credit Counseling 101

2010-03-09T16:18:00.000-05:00

National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) just launched a new podcast series called "Credit Counseling 101." This series breaks down some of the most common questions and misconceptions individuals have concerning their credit. Regardless of the economic climate, who wouldn't benefit by being more educated about personal finance? Click through to learn more about the podcast series. I've mentioned the NFCC Consumer Tools in the past, but it's worth...

Comment-Love Letters

2010-03-09T09:46:00.001-05:00

Last week Kerri tried something new and fun: she collected all of her blog comments for the week, then arranged them in the form of a letter. The result was hilarious! This week she's done it again, and she's encouraging other bloggers to link up their own Comment-Love Letters. Without much notice, I decided to give it a try. I couldn't use every comment, but maybe you'll see one of yours. Let me know what you think! Dear Melissa @ Frugal...

Canvas Print Giveaway from UPrinting.com

2010-03-09T06:10:00.005-05:00

Thanks to my friends at UPrinting.com for the opportunity to give away one of these Canvas Prints! The samples shown on the website are just beautiful, and I think these would be perfect for a portrait. You're probably familiar with UPrinting for their Promotional Printing, but did you know that they also make window clings, greeting cards, and folders? I wasn't aware of the canvas prints until just recently, either! So would you like to win a 16 x 20 Rolled...

Monday Meanderings

2010-03-08T19:40:00.002-05:00

Is it just me, or does it seem that the need for eyeglasses runs in families? I'm fairly sure that there's a hereditary factor to it, but it's interesting that some family portraits depict every member with glasses. When I was growing up, everyone in my family wore prescription glasses. I got my first pair when I was in second grade, and my sister started wearing glasses when she was in kindergarten. It was always assumed that we'd need glasses at some point. ...

Menu Plan Monday - Week of March 8

2010-03-08T07:05:00.005-05:00

We made quite a few changes to the menu plan for last week. I didn't have potatoes, which obviously meant that we couldn't have mashed potatoes! I subbed macaroni and cheese with the meatloaf, and potato chips with the chicken. I also forgot to thaw the tilapia, so we had eggplant parm (from the freezer). This week is shaping up to be another rough one, so I hope we'll be able to stick to this plan: Monday: Busy day, so we'll probably pick up something to bring...

Restaurant.com Savings and Sweepstakes

2010-03-05T11:11:00.000-05:00

Just as I finished writing the last post, with new coupon codes from Flirty Apron, I got an email about a new code and a new sweepstakes from Restaurant.com. Here's the discount offer: Now Save 60% Off Restaurant.com $25 Gift Cert. orders. Use code MENU and Pay $4 thru 3/7/10. And here's the sweepstakes: Ultimate Dining Experience Sweepstakes: Win a private dining experience at Fleur de Lys in Las Vegas, Airfare & Accommodations included! (More details: Participants...

Flirty Aprons Sale!

2010-03-05T10:58:00.000-05:00

FlirtyAprons.com wants to make room in their warehouse before Mother's Day. What this means for you is a chance to save now! Use coupon code take20off to save 20% on a $40 purchase (expires 3/15)orUse coupon code Ship4zero for free shipping on an order of $60 or more (expires 3/31) Enjoy! Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Fess Up Friday - My Thursday Afternoon

2010-03-05T06:08:00.003-05:00

It's been a thoroughly exhausting week! By Thursday I was Worn.Out. I spent the morning doing what had to be done--laundry, homeschooling, dishes--and then I took the afternoon off! I blogged, I read the Bible, I exercised, and I watched the Food Network. For dinner we had oven-fried chicken and, um, potato chips. For more Fess Up Friday, or to link up your own post, visit Kendra at New Life on a Homestead.

Cookware.com - Nesco 6-Quart Slow Cooker / Roaster Oven (Review)

2010-03-04T14:20:00.000-05:00

It's here! This lovely Nesco Professional 6 Qt. Slow Cooker / Roaster Oven with Non-Stick Cookwell in Stainless Steel (Model 4816-25-30PR) is sitting on my kitchen counter at this very moment, and I can't wait to try it! Thanks again to Cookware.com for the opportunity. The ordering process was a breeze, and I appreciate the confirmation email messages that kept me informed of my order status and tracking information. In order to write a thorough review, which will take some...

Thursday Randomness

2010-03-04T08:43:00.000-05:00

The stuffed-pepper soup was good, but not what I'd expected. I decided, instead of using the recipe I'd linked, to use the same ingredients I use for stuffed peppers, but make it soupier. The way it turned out, the rice absorbed all of the liquid. It wasn't soupy at all, but was more like the "inside-out" stuffed peppers I've made in the past. Speaking of peppers, what happened to the price of peppers this week? Red peppers were $2.99/pound and green peppers were...

Bloggers Blogging from Kenya with Compassion

2010-03-03T12:12:00.002-05:00

You may know Kristen from We are THAT Family and Works for Me Wednesday. This week (March 4-10) she is going to Africa with Compassion International to live blog their relief efforts in Kenya. To learn more about her experience, click on her blog title above or the logo below. For more information about all of the bloggers on the trip, follow all of the Compassion bloggers in Kenya on Twitter or click this logo:

Why Is God Ignoring Me? (Book Review)

2010-03-03T06:36:00.002-05:00

We all go through difficult times. Sometimes, though we cry out to God, it seems as though He isn't answering. In Why Is God Ignoring Me? author Gary R. Habermas tells what the Bible has to say about suffering, then offers a practical plan for those in this situation. In the first half of the book, Dr. Habermas points out the many ways in which God is active in our lives: through answered prayers, healing, personal conviction of sin, spiritual gifts, and so on. ...

Win $10,000 from 100% Columbian Coffee

2010-03-02T11:51:00.001-05:00

Some mornings ... most mornings! ... it's hard to get started without a good cup of coffee. Naturally, I was interested to learn about a new sweepstakes from the people at 100% Columbian Coffee. If that's not enough to wake you up, how about this: The Grand Prize is $10,000. Weekly winners will receive 100% Columbian Coffee. The sweepstakes runs through May 28, but you might want to enter early to get in on those weekly drawings and to have more chances in...

Tackle It Tuesday: Magazine Mess

2010-03-02T06:10:00.007-05:00

Remember this? I had it on my to-do list, and I really did work on it that day! (It's just taken me a while to blog it.) The job still needs more work, and I still need to find a good way to organize the recipes, but this is what I've done so far: I tore out the recipes and articles that I wanted to keep, then removed the address labels from the magazines. All of these--about half of the original stack--went out for recycling. These are the recipes I saved. Interestingly,...

Menu Plan Monday - Week of March 1

2010-03-01T06:14:00.002-05:00

As usual, we juggled last week's menu plan a bit. We ended up eating all of the dinners I'd listed, but not in that order. The thin-sliced chicken that I'd breaded and frozen (uncooked) was a great time-saver! After I breaded them, I laid them in a single layer on a sheet of plastic wrap, then folded over the wrap and put the whole thing in a freezer bag. That way the chicken pieces weren't stuck together. I didn't thaw them, but carefully put the pieces into a...

Help Haiti Live - Concert Tonight

2010-02-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the short notice: I just read about this and wanted to pass it along right away. This is from the Help Haiti Live website: On January 12th an earthquake shook Port-au-Prince leaving thousands dead and many more without food, water, or shelter. Now, more than a month later, Compassion International is still standing with the people of Haiti. Compassion has been meeting the physical and spiritual needs of Haitians for more than forty years and will continue to...

Five Cities That Ruled the World by Douglas Wilson (Book Review)

2010-02-27T08:27:00.003-05:00

Five Cities That Ruled The World by Douglas Wilson has been described as "the gripping and illuminative story of how five cities—Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York—shaped the course of global history." As you might expect, the book is divided into five sections--one for each city--plus an epilogue. Each section describes the history of a city, its present state, and its legacy. I've come to appreciate the study of history over the past several years, and...

BusyBodyBook Moving Sale

2010-02-26T19:31:00.000-05:00

You know how much I love my BusyBodyBook, and I'm happy to pass along news of a great sale! The company is moving to Massachusetts, and they're offering major discounts on the current books: The Academic Aug 09/Aug 10 BusyBodyBooks are now 65% off. That's just $6.28 each! The 2010 BusyBodyBook Organizers are 50% off. That works out to $8.98 each! Finally, all BBB UNdated GRID Pads are now 25% off, or $9.72 each. You'll find all the details at the BusyBodyBook...

Friday's Fave Five

2010-02-26T07:27:00.014-05:00

You know it's been a good week when the hardest part of making this list was narrowing it down to just five items. My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary last weekend. We don't purchase gifts or do anything extravagant, but he's very thoughtful and always finds ways to bless me. I have the best husband ever! I think my medication issues are behind me now, and I'm feeling much better. This week I had an appointment with a specialist. The bad...

Fess Up Friday: Kitchen Storage

2010-02-26T06:35:00.009-05:00

Last week when I read the housekeeping confessions of other bloggers, I nodded in agreement with nearly every one. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one! I think I can say with some confidence that, for better or worse, I have an almost endless supply of ideas for future installments of Fess Up Friday. Today I'll share a quick one. When we have company, I try to have the cooking done in advance. I definitely don't plan to use the oven...

Swagbucks News and Exclusive Code for New Members

2010-02-25T06:51:00.002-05:00

If you're not yet signed up with Swagbucks, might I suggest that this is an excellent time to sign up? If you're not familiar with Swagbucks, it's a program through which you can earn points (called, appropriately enough, Swagbucks) by searching the web, shopping through the Swagbucks website, trading in your old cell phones, and more. The Swagbucks you accumulate can be used for various prizes: gift cards for Amazon.com, iTunes, Restaurant.com, Disney.com, and many other sites;...

Freezer Cooking Day: Ground Beef Dishes

2010-02-25T06:05:00.002-05:00

When we first decided to set up a stand-alone freezer and freeze our own "convenience foods," I never planned to jump fully into Once-a-Month Cooking (OAMC). I still don't, but this weekend I had a perfect opportunity to stock the freezer, so I spent a few hours cooking specifically to fill the freezer. We'd shopped at a warehouse store and brought home 12 pounds of ground beef. We've already found that meatballs are one of our favorite ways to use the freezer: it's...