Celebrity Baby Names

If you are a celebrity (or just feel like one) you might want to know what your peers are naming their kids. Yes, we all know about Apple, but what about pilot Inspektor or simply Jack? Personally, I think one of the great things about parenthood is that you usually get naming rights. It is entirely in your power and responsibility to identify your child for life. It is such a big decision. For us, we agonized over names, even testing some out at the hospital to see if they fit our baby. Did we want a name that no … Continue reading

Finding Money When You Need Some

You’ve been watching every penny, but now the furnace needs a repair. How do you come up with the extra money when there is nothing in the bank to cover it? Or maybe your daughter needs a winter coat. Check out some of the following ideas. Hire yourself out as a handyman or handy woman. If you know a thing or two about general home repair, advertise! There are plenty of people who have a bunch of little jobs around the house that they would love to have completed. Spackle a hole in the wall, replace the washer in a … Continue reading

Preparing for Shots

No one thinks going to the pediatrician is fun, whether it is for a sick visit or a well visit. If you are prepared, though, things can go a bit more smoothly, especially when it comes to your child getting shots. You’ll also be able to bring up topics of concern and get your questions answered, despite holding on to a squirming baby, toddler or preschooler. Here are some ways to be prepared for the pediatrician when it comes to shots. Dress your child appropriately. This will make the visit so much easier. Forget about impressing the staff or the … Continue reading

Frugal Month in Review: September 2008

Now that September is come and gone and the kiddies are settled back into school and regular routines, it is time to welcome the fall. Still, there is plenty of good stuff that went on in September, including a bunch of ways to save money. September 1st Frugal Living Week in Review: August 25th Through August 31st Food and back to school are the two things on my mind this week. I e-mailed my son’s teacher ahead of time to ask about additional supplies that she might need for the classroom. She said that she usually asks parents for antibacterial … Continue reading

Beware of “Aspirational” Marketing

Frugal shoppers are usually savvy shoppers, but even we can become a victim of some well-researched marketing techniques. We find that we “need” things just to survive, but if we really examine those needs, I mean really examine them, we may find that the need is not something directly related to our survival or even happiness. Aspirational marketing is a technique in which the goal is to sell items to people who can’t afford it. I kid you not. The marketers want people who might want to aspire to a different lifestyle but can’t afford it. It is literally convincing … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review: September 22nd Through September 28th

Here is the Frugal Living Blog week in review for September 22nd through September 28th. September 22nd Creating a Rich Environment for Kids Since we have moved to our new area, we run into families that are what I would consider affluent. The kids live in large, new homes and are surrounded with plenty of the latest toys, clothes, vacations and possessions. Each home has an expensive outdoor play systems, trampolines, pools, a number of current video game systems, etc. Frugal Living Week in Review: September 15th Through September 21st Here is the Frugal Living week in review for September … Continue reading

Yes or No? Answer These Frugal Questions

When it comes to frugal living, there is sometimes a fine line between being smart about saving and being a miser. Here are some practices that many frugal people use. Are they common sense or going to far. See what your responses might be, yes or no, to each of these questions. You go out to dinner and want to keep your bill as low as possible. Would you do any of the following: You order a free water with lemon. You then squeeze the lemon and add some sugar or sweetener to make your own lemonade. You order a … Continue reading

Saturday Layout Challenge: Scrapbooking Makes Me Happy

Challenges can sometimes get us to create layouts and work on memories that we might not have done otherwise. It is my favorite part about doing challenges; the ability to think outside the box and get some scrapbooking done at the same time. Well, today I was sitting on the floor of my scrap area and going through old issues of my scrapbooking magazines. I came across a question in one of them that begged the question “What things in your scraproom make you happy?” “These are the exact kind of questions I like to use for my scrapbook journaling.”, … Continue reading

Tips for Scrapbooking Summer Camp Experiences

It seems only fitting with my two teen children off at summer camp for a week long sleepover adventure, that I would take on this topic. There will probably be more to say when they return home as well as layouts to share, and then the younger kids go next month so I am sure they will do things differently. Summer camp is often a great memory of your childhood so it should definitely be scrapbooked. Here are some ideas for doing so. Send a camera with them. It doesn’t have to be a fancy expensive camera, a disposable is … Continue reading

Gospel Questions: About Food Storage

My non-member friend asked me: Why do Mormons stockpile food? Do they think the world is coming to an end? In a nutshell, yes, we do. That answer is a little bit flippant. Let me elaborate. In the Book of Revelations, we read of calamities that will befall in the last days. These are passages that are familiar to those who have read the Bible, and the End Times prophecies are familiar to all Christian religions. The leaders of the LDS Church have encouraged us to put up a reserve of nonperishable food in our homes so that we might … Continue reading