Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer Under $13 shipped!

Make the Most of your Garden Produce with These Highly Rated and Fabulessly Priced Tools!

My Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer is seriously one of my favorite things!  I have 3 and I still need more!  All of my kids want to help and I hate to tell them no!  These make canning apple sauce or apple pie filling so easy, but they are also great for apple slinkies (so fun for lunch or snack!) , and monster curly fries!

Apple And Potato Peeler, Corer, and Slicer (BLACK) - $12.99

 

Back to Basics 286 5-Piece Home Canning Kit  - $10.51

 

And for a laugh, read the Reviews on this!  Too Funny!

Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer - $3.59

  • See our favorite Amazon Deals!  
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  • Because Amazon’s prices fluctuate so much and some times so quickly, please don’t be mad at me if you miss this great price!  Also, see why we ♥  Amazon Prime for free shipping!  This post contains our affiliate link. Please read our DISCLOSURE POLICY here.
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Gardening: Seeds to Plant Outdoor In May

Time to Plant green bean, corn and pumpkins!

when to plant seedlings

If you live in the Northern States May is the time to plant broccoli, lettuce, carrots, chard, peppers, tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, squash, melons, green beans, corn and pumpkins. (Warmer states can plant now if you have not already.)

This week: The third week of May

  • Outdoor Planting:  pumpkins, green beans and corn

Next week it will be time to plant: 

  • cucumbers, squash and melons outdoors.

Be sure to get yours seeds, these are great prices…

ferry moore seedsraised garden

Weekly Gardening Post: I am sharing a seed planting schedule with you so you will be reminded when it is time to plant your various seeds. I had big plans to plant my own garden this year, but it is just not going to happen. We had several sprinklers break and we are in the middle of a huge remodel. So my hubs does not have time or energy to repair sprinklers. Teardrop. :’( There is only one week left of planting and then you should have everything planted in your gardens.

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How To Make Your Strawberries Last Longer!

Make your strawberries last for weeks instead of days using this tip!

Strawberries

I stocked up on strawberries early last week at WinCo.  They have their strawberries on sale for $1.48 for a 2lb package.  I saw this tip on making your strawberries last longer (I can’t even remember where now) but I tried it and this bunch of strawberries lasted for almost two WEEKS in the fridge after using this soak on them!  It is really easy, all you need are strawberries, vinegar and water!  *Note* this will work on any type of  berries.

Strawberrry Soak Ingredients fab frug

Mix one part vinegar with 10 parts water.  I used 5 cups water to 1/2 cup vinegar.  The vinegar kills the mold spores that are already growing on the berries so  it lengthens the shelf life!

Strawberries Soaking fab frug

I soaked them for 2 minutes and drained them.

Strawberries drain fab frug

I suppose you could rinse them with water but I didn’t.  There was absolutely no hint of a vinegar taste at all!

Strawberries Store in Container fab frug

I washed out the original container and stored them back in it because it has nice ventilation.   I am sure you could use any container.

Store them in the refrigerator or a cool location.

Check out our Strawberry recipes:

Strawberry Huller

  Joie Stainless Steel Strawberry Huller

 

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Gardening: Seeds to Plant Indoor and Outdoor In May

Time to Plant broccoli, lettuce, carrots, chard, peppers, tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, squash, melons, and pumpkins!

when to plant seedlings

If you live in the Northern States May is the time to plant broccoli, lettuce, carrots, chard, peppers, tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, squash, melons, and pumpkins. (Warmer states can plant now if you have not already.) The weather has been warm this week and motivating me to get out and plant my garden.

This week: The first-second week of May

  • Outdoor Planting:  broccoli, lettuce, carrots, chard, peppers, tomatoes, and okra.
  • Indoor Planting:  cucumbers, squash, melons, and pumpkins

Next week it will be time to plant: 

  • green beans, corn and pumpkins outdoors.

Be sure to get yours seeds, these are great prices…

ferry moore seeds

Weekly Gardening Post: I am sharing my gardening process so that you will be reminded when it is time to plant your various seeds. I also want to make these posts a place for readers to come to share their gardening experience and give advice. Each week on Wednesday at 6 pm I will let you know which seeds you should be planting and tell you a little bit about what I am planting in my garden. I hope you will join me and give your input.

 

Don’t miss the $5 off Home Depot Coupon!

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Preschool For a Year For Less Than $120!

preschool for a year

 Is Your Child Ready for Preschool?

  • This Online Preschool Program is designed to be entirely affordable at only $12.99 per month (that’s less than $120 per YEAR!)
    Which is cheaper than a week or two at most preschools! 
  • The nine month online preschool program comes with 12 complete lesson plans for each month (3 times per week for 4 weeks)!
  • There are no large up front fees-just a monthly payment of only$12.99!  (Does a $150 enrollment fee sound familiar?)
  • No long term contract-you can do 1 month, 2 months, or all 9 months!
  • You may begin the program at any time and start with month 1 curriculum!  There is no need to wait until September which is typically when the school year starts!
    Is your child needing stimulation and a challenge?  Start today!
  • Your account will automatically be billed through PayPal each month, for the duration of the 9 month program!  That means you don’t have to remember to make a payment, write a check or buy stamps!
  • You can cancel future payments at any time if not completely satisfied with online preschool program

Curriculum Includes:

What-you-get-month-1

Each month comes with OVER 50 downloadable files that teach  the ABC’s in English, Spanish, and Sign Language, and 123′s in English and Spanish.

In the first month, your young learner will learn to count to 20 in English and Spanish, plus say the entire alphabet.  And then, each month, there will be a focus on 3 different letters and 3 numbers.  Your child will learn to recognize, write, and say the entire alphabet and the numbers 1-20 over the course of the 9 month class.

Plus you get fun, easy crafts (that reinforce the day’s focus), recommended books (which you can usually check out from the library!), and they learn colors, shapes, rhymes, and even how to help clean up!  Each lesson takes only 2 hours per day, and there are 12 lessons a month!  

Bonus:  If you have a doctors appointment, a play date, a holiday, or your munchkin just isn’t feeling good, you don’t miss a precious (and expensive) day of school!  You can just move it to the next day, or a different time of day… whenever works best for your family!

Do any of these sound like you?A Tracing Sheets

  • Are you a “hands on parent” who wants to do preschool at home with your child?
  • Do you desire additional activities to do with your child at home?
  • Are you participating in a Joy School or Preschool Co-op?
  • Do you want to save time and money by doing your own preschool with your child?
  • Do you operate your own preschool or daycare?
  • Is your child struggling with academics or do they need to move faster than their current school is moving?
  • Are you a teacher looking for extra resources for your students?
  • Does the idea of paying $200-$600 a month for preschool make your checkbook say “Ouch”?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then this program is for you!

Your child will also have acquired the following skills after completing the program:

  • A head start in reading, writing, language skills, and mathematics.
  • Learn to value a wide variety of fictional and non-fictional books.
  • Develop creativity, curiosity and self-esteem.
  • Use music and rhythm, dramatic play, and creative art as means of self expression.
  • Strengthen and refine both small and large motor skills.
  • Gain self control.

Enter to win a FULL Year Of Preschool for your kid!!  

Just like their facebook page!
Winner will be announced on the 10th of May on the Preschool for a Year facebook page!

Sign Up For Preschool For A Year!

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Get Paid to Watch Commercials and Watch Movies FREE!

Hot New TV and Movie Streaming Program!

HitBliss is a new online service that lets users stream hundreds of hit movies & thousands of tv shows.

What makes them really unique from others is that HitBliss consists of two parts: HitBliss Earn and HitBliss Store.

In the HitBliss Earn app users can engage with brands (i.e. watch videos & other brands messages) and earn real cash in their account (in exchange for their time/attention to the brand messages). Users can then move over to the HitBliss Store environment and use their earned cash to stream movies & full tv episodes (commercial free).

They currently offer access to tv content such as: The Big Bang Theory, The Vampire Diaries, The Walking Dead, and Pretty Little Liars (as well as hundreds more). Basically, HitBliss gives users the ability to stream great content without requiring that they dig into their wallets for every viewing. HitBliss is an application (.exe) that requires users to download it and run on their desktop or laptop system.

Hit bliss

Your Maximum Balance is $5, which only took me about 5 minutes to earn.

Most TV shows cost $1.99 to watch (but lots are FREE!) and Movies range from Free to $3.99!

And, after you have “earned” the money by watching the commercials, the movies and TV shows are commercial FREE, and stream quickly to your computer.

I tested a show I recently watched on Netflix with the same show on HitBliss, and couldn’t tell the difference.  It was fast, clear, and sounded great!

Sign up for HitBliss Now, and start earning and SAVING money!

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Home Depot Garden Club = Home Depot Coupons!

 Sign up for Home Depot Garden Club and get COUPONS!!!!

I signed up for this a couple of years ago and I love it!  I get tips, ideas, deals and best of all HOME DEPOT COUPONS sent right to my inbox!!!

Just fill in your email address, ZIP code and name  to start seeing project ideas, monthly to-do lists and savings delivered right to your inbox.  GET OVER $300 IN ANNUAL SAVINGS and if you sign up now you will get a $5 off coupon!

Click on the Picture ABOVE to get started!

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New Pinecone Research Openings!

I admit it!  I LOVE Pinecone!

The surveys only take 15-20 minutes! And they pay in points which equal about $3 each! Easy money, and they’ll deposit it right into your paypal account or mail you a check!! I’ve been part of the Pinecone for 3 years, and they are totally legit.  I get 1-2 surveys a week, so for less than an hour a week I make from $12-$24 a month.  It’s great!  It keeps me in coffee (when I’m not pregnant) and coupons!

PineCone Research conducts on-line interviews with consumers from all walks of life to obtain their opinions about new products. To become a panel member, all you need to do is complete the simple form. This will only take a few minutes of your time.

It’s easy and fun to see and evaluate new product ideas in the comfort of your own home!  They’ve sent me a few different items to test and review.  It’s always fun, and since you are honestly answering the questions, they are totally relevant to your life!

You will earn points for each completed product survey, which can be exchanged for cash and other rewards. PLUS you will be automatically entered into a bi-weekly Sweepstakes to win additional cash prizes for your time. Each interview usually takes 15-20 minutes of your time. Plus, you are free to leave the panel at any time should you choose to do so.

Registrants who complete the signup form online and align with the recruit target(s) and are eligible for membership consideration will immediately receive an email invitation containing a link, ID and password to complete the full registration process. The link takes them to a brief “staging” survey (6 minutes or less) to gather some further information about that registrant and their household, and to gain agreement to the terms and conditions for panel membership.

Join Pinecone Research and start making Money Now!

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How To Shred Chicken In Your Kitchen Aid Mixer

Shred cooked chicken in seconds!

How To Shred Chicken In Your Kitchen Aid

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Did you know you can use your Kitchen Aid to quickly shred cooked chicken? YEP! You sure can, and IT. IS. WONDERFUL! It saves so much time and… well, it’s just plain cool!

How To Shred Chicken In Your Kitchen Aid Chicken Breast

Simply bake or boil your chicken breasts. While they’re still warm, put them in your Kitchen Aid with your flat beater attachment.

How To Shred Chicken In Your Kitchen Aid Shredded Chicken

Turn the mixer on at about a 2 speed for 30 seconds to a minute. Keep an eye on it because it shreds quickly! You now have perfectly shredded chicken ready for any recipe! Sometimes, to save EVEN MORE time, I’ll do a double batch of shredded chicken and freeze half of it with my handy dandy food saver for the next recipe.

Hope you enjoy this kitchen tip as much as I do!

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Recipes That Call For Shredded Chicken:

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3 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score

Want to Know How to Raise Your Credit Score?

I wanted to know too!  Over the past 6 months I’ve been researching the best ways to raise my credit score.  4 years ago this month my husband lost his job.   Thank goodness I started to listen to and follow the steps Dave Ramsey recommends.  Instead of spending our tax refund like we always had in the past, we saved it.  Just a few weeks after I tucked the money safely away in our savings account, my husband was laid off.  At that time I was expecting baby #7 (surprise!).  Needless to say, the next 18 months were rough.

yoder family ny times

image credit

You can read more than you ever wanted to know about me and my family’s situation in this New York Times Magazine article that Monica and I were featured in last year.  But needless to say, after the first 18 months into unemployment, our credit was shot.  In fact, we nearly lost our home.  If it weren’t for some wonderful friends, and the blessing of this blog (you know that this blog is free for you to use, but we still make an income from it), we were able to keep our home.

Fast forward to NOW!  We have a stable income again, in fact, we’ve paid off all the remaining credit card debt, and we’ve been able to start saving!  But our credit scores were still lower than they used to be.  You can imagine that we’re busting at the seams as my family of 9 is starting to grow (not in numbers, but in size… these kids are getting bigger and inviting friends over!).  We’ve been needing to move into something a little more spacious for some time (this is our fabulous real estate agent by the way).

Want to know what I’ve learned? (disclosure: I’m no financial expert, I’m just sharing what worked for me these past few months)

3 Easy Ways to Raise Your Credit Score

credit sesame app

1 – Raise Awareness

Last fall I signed up for Credit Sesame.  I love it!  Not only do I get to see my credit score for FREE every single month, Credit Sesame also offers a FREE credit monitoring service.  It’s a great way to keep an eye on your financial situation… I especially love their app!  Right at my finger tips I can get a quick snapshot of how things are going for us (as you can see in the screenshot I took of the app on my phone  —>).

  • 100% free personal finance credit and debt management tool
  • no credit card required or trial period (LOVE this!)
  • gives an instant view of your credit, including Experian credit score
  • refreshes monthly & for free
  • provides debt analysis with personalized offers tailored to your credit profile

I use Credit Sesame and recommend it to anyone who wants to be aware of and improve their financial situation!

2 – Keep a Low But Active Credit Card Balance

My loan officer told me one of the fastest ways to raise your credit score is to use a credit card each month… keep it active.  So I have an Old Navy credit card (because I love to save an additional 10% every Tuesday).  My limit is just $500… he told me to put about $50-$75 on my card each month (he told me to SHOP at Old Navy… OK!).  I pay it off before any interest accrues, but for a few months prior to taking out a loan for our new home, actively using and paying off this card would help.  The biggest spread you have between your balance and your line of credit, the better.  So if you have a card with a $5000 credit limit, using about $500 of that each month (and paying it off) will help your credit score.

If you don’t have a credit card, you should have one.  We have a list of the best rewards credit cards (you might as well earn some rewards for using credit!).

best reward credit cards

3 – Pull Your Free Credit Report

check-credit-report

You are entitled to 1 free credit report every 12 months from each of the 3 national consumer reporting companies-Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion! It is important to check your credit report regularly for accuracy and signs of fraudulent activity.  You can get that yearly from AnnualCreditReport.com.  You can either pull all three reports once a year (do it on your birthday to help you remember), OR every four months pull just one of the credit reports from one of the credit bureaus (do it in January, May, and September… those are months that the kids are either returning to or finishing up school).

In the last three months my credit score has gone up 30 points, just by doing these few small things.  Now, by all means, I’m no financial advisor… I’m just sharing what worked for me.  Talk to your lender about specific ways you can raise your credit score, based on your situation.

The higher your credit score, the better interest rates you can get on a home loan.  With the real estate market picking up, we decided now was a great time to move into a new home.

What other things have you done to improve your credit score?

33 Ways To Raise Your Credit Score

Six Personal Finance Kindle Books {FREE-$.99 Each!}

Because Amazon’s prices fluctuate so much and some times so quickly, please don’t be mad at me if you miss these great offers!

You can read these Kindle books on almost any computer, smartphone, or tablet! See more info here.

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