I have moved!

Check out my new blog (same blog different name)

The Froog

http://www.thefroog.com

Site down for changes!

Site is going to be on hiatus because I'm moving to my own domain!

Stay tuned!

Weight Loss Challenge Wednesdays!

Well this is my weight loss check in. I've not done all three of my goals religiously (an apple a day, 8 glasses of water, & 8 hours of sleep) so I'm sure that has not helped. Unfortunately I have lost no weight, but I have gained no weight either so I'll take that as a victory.

This week what I'll change is to 1. Stick to my goals of especially water, but I'm not getting enough sleep and that's effecting me, I know. 2. I'm going to try to add in some exercise but I'm not sure how much. Stay tuned!

Starting Weight: 181 lbs

Goal Weight Loss: 31 lbs

Current Weight: 181 lbs

Weight Loss: 0 lbs

Pounds to Goal: 31 lbs to go!

Week #: 0

Free Molton Cake at Chili's on Monday

Click me for details

I don't usually post on the weekends but 1. This deal is for tomorrow and 2. I didn't post Friday because blogger.com was having problems so this is a freebie for you in 2 ways.

Tomorrow you can get a free Molten Cake just for sharing the link on Facebook...easy as pie...er cake!

Earn Through Swagbucks

If you are not on Swagbucks yet, seriously, what is stopping you!? First of all, it's the EASIEST way to earn prizes/gift cards online, and secondly you can win so many cool prizes!

You earn prizes by searching on the website. It's super easy. Most days you earn about 7-12 points for a search, sometimes more. I would say 10 is average though. If you did NOTHING else you could earn a $5 Amazon gift card in roughly a month and a half. For doing a handful of internet searches a day...EASY. (They cost 450 points) You can also get Paypal money for 700 points. There are also tons of prizes and other gift cards, but you can look for yourself that is part of the fun!

Ways to get the most from your Swagbucks:

• Do your searches every day (10 average swagbucks)
• Do the daily poll (1 point)
• Do the NOSO (2 points)
• Watch a few videos (2 points)

You'll get about 15 points a day doing those things.

Good ways to get additional points:

• Get referrals (when your referral earns you earn!) BTW click any link to sign up as MY referral!
• Bonus Swag Codes (Swagbucks posts lots in their blog and through various social media)
• Coupons (I feel Swagbucks is a good bang for your buck coupon site at 10 SB per coupon redeemed)
• Special Offers - only if you are so inclined, I think other sites are better for this

Please click me to start up at Swagbucks today!

As soon as I redeem my next gift certificate (in the next week or so) I will do a challenge to see how fast I can earn a gift card just to show my audience how awesome this program is!

Don't Pay for Passport Pics!

Somehow world traveling on a budget sounds like a contradiction in terms. That is because it is SO expensive! My plight is that my husband is from the wonderful country of Scotland, and thus I am forced (my arm is really tied behind my back *wink wink*) to travel to Scotland.

Obviously there is no cheap way to travel, but there are some ways to save money. My first tip to World Travel on a Shoestring is DO NOT PAY FOR PASSPORT PHOTOS.

Get Free Passport Photos at ePassportPhoto.com

I have no reason to refer you to this service other than that it's AWESOME. We used it when going through U.S. Immigration for my husband to get his permanent residence, so you can't get any more official than that! For immigration we needed 8 photos and it was going to cost a fortune. I turned to this service because we couldn't afford a traditional service, and found out this service is so much better!

It's relatively easy, and guess what! You can take pictures till you get a GOOD photo...how often do you have a good ID photo? Well, now you can.

Photo by Damian613

Weight Loss Challenge Wednesdays!

I have gained quite a lot of weight (especially since hav

ing my son). So I am committing to losing the weight. It will be my weight loss challenge and I'm holding myself accountable on my blog. To be completely fair I will start with the fact that I have a thyroid problem. I recently went to the doctor and had my medicine adjusted so this should help.

I have also given up soda. That is big for me. I am on

ly drinking the occasional soda on the weekends so that I don't go completely insane. I have already gone 2 weeks without it and so far so good.

As far as a diet goes I am really not doing one although I will try to make smarter choices, but I've decided to use 3 of the most common health guidelines I've heard all of my life to guide this month and see how it goes:

• Get 8 Hours of Sleep
• Drink 8 Glasses of Water
• An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Not sure if 8 hours of sleep will help my weight loss but I'm going to try it. An apple may turn into another fruit but generally speaking I'm going to try to eat a piece of fruit a day and up my veggies, too. The water goes without saying, I don't drink enough and I know it will help flush out all the toxins in my body.

Please join my weight loss challenge!

I'm starting at 181 pounds (just weight myself). I want to lose 31 pounds by October which is 20 Wednesdays. I have to lose roughly 1.55 pounds per week to meet this goal. I may add in different weight loss tips as I go, so I'll keep you posted!

Starting Weight: 181 lbs

Goal Weight Loss: 31 lbs

Current Weight: 181 lbs

Weight Loss: 0 lbs

Pounds to Goal: 31 lbs to go!

Week #: 0

Before Picture

4 Ways Portion Control Can Save You $$$

Portion control is usually associated with diets but applies to every aspect of your life. Let's face it a budget is a diet for your wallet, and a little self control goes a long way. Here are four places in your life that exercising portion control will greatly impact your budget!

1. Meat - Unless you are a vegetarian I can guarantee that meat is taking up a BIG portion of your budget. I am not suggesting to give it up but to limit your portion sizes (especially on expensive red meat).

Not only will this help your budget but it will help your overall health. It is recommended that the average adult eat between 5 to 6 ounces of protein foods in a day. That's not very much, so it doesn't take a lot to fulfill that need.

Feeling too extreme? Understandably you may not want go that extreme, but the key here is to start measuring your food. Does it have to be 5 ounces? No, but the way food packagers package meat it would be a good practice to begin measuring your food. Steaks and boneless chicken breasts are more than someone can eat many times. The excess could be cut off and used for future meals (fajitas or stew, etc). You will probably find that you can make 2 meals out of what you previously were making 1 meal out of.

2. Toiletries - It may seem weird but toiletries are a huge place to get savings by exercising portion control. There are many ways that toiletries are wasted. Instead of just mindlessly using the toiletries take a day to consciously think out how much you are wasting.

Going through body wash too fast? You are probably using too much. If you don't have a loofah, you should get one because it takes a very small amount of body wash to suds up a loofah as opposed to using your hands or a wash cloth.

It's the same with shampoo and conditioner. You are probably over using. You only need a dime sized amount, quarter sized if you have really long hair, and the same goes for conditioner. All that extra lather is money down the drain! Literally!

I am not saying to go out with dirty hair and uncleaned teeth, obviously you have to use your own judgement. It is time to critically think of how much you really need, and discipline yourself. This is a really painless way to save money. No one goes to bed thinking that they wished they'd used twice the amount of toothpaste. After the deed is done you rarely think about it.

3. Cleaning Products - Cleaning products are much similar to the personal hygene products. In addition to using some cheaper products (vinegar, baking soda, etc) you need to pay attention to how much you are using.

When you are using a cleaner (or laundry soap, or fabric softener or dish water) don't just arbitrarily throw in the soap. Use the recommended amount. In the case of not very dirty loads of laundry consider throwing in half the amount. The key that I'm trying to drive home is pay attention to how much you are using and adjust if you are over-using products. This is another pain free way to save some dough!

See my other article Spring Cleaning to find out how to use vinegar around the house!

4. Restaurants - Here's a fact: restaurants give you HUGE portions. Obviously we all like to get out now and then but costs are soaring. A good way to save money while dining out (and likely a few pounds) is to watch your portion size. Many restaurants offer half portions or lighter portions and they are plenty. If the restaurant you are patronizing doesn't offer half portions have no fear. A good tip to get in the habit of is to put half of your entree aside right at the beginning of the meal. That way you have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Another thing to keep in mind is when you go to fast food or ala carte places do not let your eyes get bigger than your stomach. If you are still hungry you can always go back and get something else, but ordering too much food is just a waste of money.

There are many other ways you can save money through portion control - many more than what I've mentioned. This will give you a good springboard to start critically thinking about what you are using. Living frugally isn't just about using a good coupon, and it isn't just living like a pauper. Usually it boils down to being responsible with the resources you already have.

Inbox Dollars

Alright, just requested a check from my latest Money Maker, Inbox Dollars! I am getting a $55 check in June, so I am really excited. This is technically my first check from this company so I will keep you posted on if they follow through, though they are supposed to be reputable.

The key to any of these paid sites is to do all of the e-mail clicks, watch the free videos and do all of the free stuff. Also, if you see an offer that you like do it through the site. If you do any shopping online chances are you can shop through the site and earn extra money. With Inbox Dollars I earned most of my $$'s through clicks and watching videos. I've already earned $6 towards my next check.

If you think this sounds like fun (and heck it IS easy) please sign up through my link...oh yeah you get $5 just for signing up!...I would love the referral!

Time to get serious

Okay, it's time for me to get serious about my blogging. Sure, I think about it A LOT, but I am very haphazard about doing it. (Easy to do when you have a 1 year old and work and are helping maintain a house). I am going to be more serious about it now, however.

For me it is starting with a schedule. I am going to blog everyday Monday through Friday and on Sunday I will map out what I will talk about each day. This is starting next Monday so stay tuned for that.

This blog is devoted to all things frugal & all things MOM and that is a TON to cover! I hope you will enjoy this blog, new and improved!

Mayo!

I've always liked (and feared) the idea of making my own mayo, but I decided to dive in and try it. Let me tell you first hand: it was easy and tasty! I mean seriously easy, and it took less than 5 minutes. I think the key is to put the oil in slowly. This would also be a really good base for your own sandwich spread creations. AND biggest bonus...it's way cheaper than buying a jar of mayo these days (especially the good stuff!) and probably more delicious!

Homemade Mayo Recipe

This is the recipe that I used so kudos to the person who wrote it. It couldn't have been easier and I can imagine using it again. A batch probably costs 40 cents or so, and has very basic ingredients. Definitely give it a try!

Photo by FotoosVanRobin

My Merlot Chicken

I made the most scrumptious recipe tonight with things I had around the house. The recipe is based off of Chicken Marsala, but I didn't have all of the fancy ingredients and it turned out GREAT! I used Merlot ($3 at Walmart) instead of Marsala wine, whole milk instead of whipping cream and onions instead of shallots, but I'm sure you could use any of the fancy ingredients if you had them! I did this all for under $10 and it seems so fancy!

• 4-5 Boneless Chicken Breasts [1/2 pkg about $4.25 @ Walmart]
• 8 oz. Mushrooms [1 pkg about $1.50 @ Walmart]
• 1/2 of a Medium Onion (chopped) [about $.25]
• 4 Tablespoons Butter [about $.25]
• 1/2 Cup Red Wine (I used Merlot) [about $.50]
• 3/4 Cup of Whole Milk [about $.50]
• 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice [about $.10]
• Dollup of Sour Cream [about $.10]
• Salt & Pepper [about $.10]

I made mine for around $8 but you can definitely keep it under $10!

Pound down chicken until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Salt and pepper to taste. Pan fry chicken in 2 Tablespoons of butter on both sides till nearly done. Remove chicken from pan and rest. In the same pan saute mushrooms and onions in remaining amount of butter. When mushrooms are brown add wine and bring to a boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Add milk, lemon juice, and sour cream. Salt and pepper sauce to taste. When well blended bring to a boil and then finish cooking chicken in mixture and reduce to a thick sauce. (If sauce doesn't thicken enough, you can add cornstarch or flour mixture to thicken - take out chicken first)

Serve with rice or pasta.

I think you will enjoy!

Quiznos Coupon

Quiznos has released a printable coupon good for $2.99 small sub. Get your coupon here. Not as good as a freebie, but if you are already a Quiznos fan like I am you may want this bit of savings.

Motivation for spring cleaning!

Having trouble finding motivation. My camera died so it's hard to get the pictures I need to do this blog, and it's bumming me out.

I think I will do a massive spring cleaning today and keep the blogging to a minimum! I encourage everyone to at least clean 5 things in your house (example: The counters, vacuum carpet, television, etc.)

Springtime!

It's officially the first day of Spring! And oh what a beautiful day it is (at least here in Dallas). Hmmm, wondering if that means I'm going to have to get some spring cleaning done? Am I the only one who feels like procrastinating?

Here is my problem with spring cleaning. I start with the best intentions but not much time passed before I become overwhelmed then in slowly spirals into a doom spiral of despair. I am cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and every time I try to clean a new thing it opens a Pandora's box to another thing I need to clean. Soon there are things that need to be cleaned surrounding me on all sides and I feel like I am being cornered by my own dirty mess that I have inadvertently made while trying to tidy things up.

Then I give up and go watch TV.

Anyone have any good spring cleaning tips?

Coming back to life

Okay, I've been doing a lot of new techniques for saving money and this will be devoted to that. I have stopped doing so much of the couponing and now am doing other alternative money making things.

Some of the interesting things we are doing is gardening (to save money on veggies and to make a sustainable life) and I am making my own sun oven (more info to come).

I still do the bargain hunting. This blog is still trying to find its legs so we'll see where it goes.