Three levels for elementary, middle school, and high school - walks the student through writing a novel. This is an amazing freebie.
See here.
Another good one here,Teaching Writing without (buying) a Writing Curriculum
Ht to fivejs.com
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Great Deal on Cat Litter
Arm & Hammer Double Duty Clumping Litter, 37-Pound
This is $13.98 with free shipping on Amazon.
I just ordered three and there are only 15 left. The prices change on these, so it may not always be this inexpensive. I ordered a 27 pound box for $10.00(now $15.00) last week before I saw this deal. Family Dollar had 14 pound containers of Tidy Cat on sale for $6.00, so this is much less expensive.
This is $13.98 with free shipping on Amazon.I just ordered three and there are only 15 left. The prices change on these, so it may not always be this inexpensive. I ordered a 27 pound box for $10.00(now $15.00) last week before I saw this deal. Family Dollar had 14 pound containers of Tidy Cat on sale for $6.00, so this is much less expensive.
Off-season Hotel Deals
We found a good deal for a short vacation. We are taking it in the middle of the week in October, off-season. We got five days on the beach with a view of the ocean in Atlantic City for $279.00. A super price if you are able to take vacation days during the off-season, and in the middle of the week when business is slower.
We used Hotels.com and stacked two coupons with the 20% discount offered at Hotels.com. Click through Coupon Cactus for 4% off. This can be stacked with another 10% off through 9/13/12 with online coupon code: AUGI:NY2SP7T.
If you get on the Hotels.com mailing list, sometimes they have 24 hour 50% off sales, and offer coupons and rebates throughout the year. After ten hotel nights booked through Hotels.com, you receive one night free. So far, I've liked the deals that I've received and the one night free! We've used them for the past three years for their good rates, coupons, and rebates.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
30 Signs of a Frugal Upbringing
Frugal folks come from all sorts of backgrounds. Some were raised in
typical American families with traditional buying and spending habits
and came to embrace frugality much later in life. Others were raised by
parents or grandparents who made simplicity part of everyday life —
from the way they cooked and cleaned to the way they fixed their cars
and celebrated holidays. For those of us in the latter group, we can
spot another member a mile off...
1. You skip the headlines in the Sunday paper and head straight for the sales inserts.
2. You’ve washed (or seriously considered washing) tin foil to use it a second time.
3. You remember smuggling homemade snacks into the Saturday matinee.
4. You know how to buff your shoes to high shine by adding a bit of water or heat to the polish.
5. You’ll still stop to pick up a penny.
6. You ignore the suggested use or recommended quantity directions on most products.
7. There’s a coupon organizer in your purse or car (extra credit if it includes a calculator).
8. You save rubber bands or twist-ties....
Read more here.
1. You skip the headlines in the Sunday paper and head straight for the sales inserts.
2. You’ve washed (or seriously considered washing) tin foil to use it a second time.
3. You remember smuggling homemade snacks into the Saturday matinee.
4. You know how to buff your shoes to high shine by adding a bit of water or heat to the polish.
5. You’ll still stop to pick up a penny.
6. You ignore the suggested use or recommended quantity directions on most products.
7. There’s a coupon organizer in your purse or car (extra credit if it includes a calculator).
8. You save rubber bands or twist-ties....
Read more here.
Dollar Tree to Accept Coupons
Aug. 22--The Dollar Tree, which has done well during the recession and lagging recovery with its $1 or less pricing, has decided to add another weapon to its retail strategy.
Starting Sunday, the discount retailer will start accepting coupons at its 4,000-plus U.S. location... more here.
I hope they limit coupons per purchase or the shelves will be cleared off!
I hope they limit coupons per purchase or the shelves will be cleared off!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Five Money-saving Tips to Avoid Food Inflation
(MoneyWatch) Severe drought across much of the U.S. is likely to produce steep inflation for a wide array of goods, from gasoline to beef, says Steve Cunningham, an economist with the American Institute for Economic Research.
That's because corn -- a crop that has been decimated by drought -- is used as feed for beef and poultry; is manufactured into ethanol, a gasoline additive; and is cooked into corn syrup, a sweetener in everything from cereals to ketchup. And, of course, that doesn't count corn's simple uses, whether to be eaten alone or made into anything from chips to tortillas....
Stock up on beef and chicken now, because farmers may slaughter more livestock in the next few weeks to avoid the higher prices of feed. That could create a temporary drop in beef prices before prices start to soar this fall.
Avoid processed foods, many of which include high-fructose corn syrup as an additive. Not only is the additive fattening, it's likely to become increasingly expensive, pushing up the costs of all sorts of processed foods.
Eat fruit. The hot temperatures that have damaged the corn crop have been great for fruit farmers, so eat grapes.
Substitute. Oatmeal makes for a healthier breakfast than Fruit Loops, and it's a fraction of the cost. Fish is a healthier alternative than beef, and it's completely unaffected by the drought. Other foods that use simple sugar, instead of corn syrup, are also likely to avoid the big hike in cost that could result from a corn shortage.
Go local. If you don't live in the drought-plagued areas, buying fruit and vegetables from local farmer's markets -- and even livestock, poultry and eggs from local farms -- can save a bundle.
Read the rest here.
Friday, August 17, 2012
North American Bird Identification and Nature Sounds Videos
Click on "play all" and it will play through 59 different birds including a few frogs. The birds are up close and identified, and play their songs for a few minutes each. My cats loved these! And my daughter began learning bird names and calls. We listened again later in the evening and read a chapter from The Tale of the Jolly Robin.
HT to Easy Peasy - All in One Homeschool
Be Scrappy: Scrapping Various Household Items for Cash
This was interesting. A website which helps you learn how to scrap items that you wouldn't want to donate. Maybe they are too broken, odds and ends, or the thrift stores won't take them.
Once you strip the item of metal, if needed, then you take it to a local scrap yard for weighing and a cash payment. We've done this in the past when we added new gutters. We took the old ones to the scrap yard and got back a nice bit of cash. If you Google "scrap metal" you should get a listing of scrap metal recyclers in your area, if any.
Scrap metal recycling keeps metals and alloys out of the landfills. I try to help our local "recycler" who drives by with his truck the day before trash day. When I can, I save all my metal trash for him and his wife. I'm sure he is able to fill a hole in his family budget with this venture. When I have more time, I'll begin taking our household metals to the scrap yard myself. It would require some time consuming work and organization, and the room to store items until we had enough to make a trip worthwhile.
From ScrapMetalJunkie.com: "People love to talk about recycling like it is a selfless act, strictly done out of love for mother earth. That may be the case for those who set little bits of paper at the street in a green bin. But the real recycling is done for money. It is done for cash money, and I’m not talking Washingtons. I’m talking Benjamins. An average person with a truck can make up to $40,000 a year scrapping metal if they work full time. If they scrap part time as a second job, they could easily make $15,000; thats $290 a week. ...
Scrap metal has been one of the biggest exports in North America for the last five or ten years. It has gained popularity in that time due mainly to the increase in demand for base metals. Copper in 2006 was getting scrapped at around $2.80, when, in 2000, you were lucky to get 50 cents. The trend is likely to continue: commodities are going up, inflation..."
Scrap metal recycling keeps metals and alloys out of the landfills. I try to help our local "recycler" who drives by with his truck the day before trash day. When I can, I save all my metal trash for him and his wife. I'm sure he is able to fill a hole in his family budget with this venture. When I have more time, I'll begin taking our household metals to the scrap yard myself. It would require some time consuming work and organization, and the room to store items until we had enough to make a trip worthwhile.
From ScrapMetalJunkie.com: "People love to talk about recycling like it is a selfless act, strictly done out of love for mother earth. That may be the case for those who set little bits of paper at the street in a green bin. But the real recycling is done for money. It is done for cash money, and I’m not talking Washingtons. I’m talking Benjamins. An average person with a truck can make up to $40,000 a year scrapping metal if they work full time. If they scrap part time as a second job, they could easily make $15,000; thats $290 a week. ...
Scrap metal has been one of the biggest exports in North America for the last five or ten years. It has gained popularity in that time due mainly to the increase in demand for base metals. Copper in 2006 was getting scrapped at around $2.80, when, in 2000, you were lucky to get 50 cents. The trend is likely to continue: commodities are going up, inflation..."
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Using Libraries Outside of Your Area
Sadly, inter-library loan is a pain in our area and costs money. For whatever reason, they don't like to do it, and it is greatly discouraged. It is all right with me because I enjoy getting out of town, and depending on how they are set up, children's areas at libraries can be fun places. The one we were at today had lots of toys, games, and some freebie books and local historical printables. We used one in the martitime museum for a scavenger search.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Silent "E" Rule Children's Free Learning Videos
A cute one, Magic E song with a Caribbean flavor.
Our favorites are at the end of my early learning favorites at YouTube.
Mother's Love Good for Children's Brains
School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have
brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to
learning, memory and response to stress.
The new research, by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is the first to show that changes in this critical region of children’s brain anatomy are linked to a mother’s nurturing.
Their research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
“This study validates something that seems to be intuitive, which is just how important nurturing parents are to creating adaptive human beings,” says lead author Joan L. Luby, MD, professor of child psychiatry. “I think the public health implications suggest that we should pay more attention to parents’ nurturing, and we should do what we can as a society to foster these skills because clearly nurturing has a very, very big impact on later development.”
Read more here.
10 Ways to Nurture Your Child
The new research, by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is the first to show that changes in this critical region of children’s brain anatomy are linked to a mother’s nurturing.
Their research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.
“This study validates something that seems to be intuitive, which is just how important nurturing parents are to creating adaptive human beings,” says lead author Joan L. Luby, MD, professor of child psychiatry. “I think the public health implications suggest that we should pay more attention to parents’ nurturing, and we should do what we can as a society to foster these skills because clearly nurturing has a very, very big impact on later development.”
Read more here.
10 Ways to Nurture Your Child
Saturday, August 04, 2012
Frugal Housekeeping - Fuller String Mop
Fuller Brush Wet Mop Complete
More about the Fuller Brush Company, established in 1906.
Sometimes old fashioned is the best. I just bought a Fuller string mop for my hard surface floors. As advertised, this mop catches the dirt and cleans off easily. I use a string mop, but this one is built to last with all metal parts, and a sturdy mop head with tough non-shedding twisted string. The entire mop is about $14.00, and the mop head is replaceable.
More about the Fuller Brush Company, established in 1906.
Friday, August 03, 2012
Underutilized Community Centers?!!
We pay a whopping $20.00 a year per person to use our community center indoor pools, open gyms, and fitness centers. A better bargain I have not found! Oddly, we are the only family using the pool this summer. Summer youth camps come through, but after that we have the pool to ourselves. It has been nice, but I wonder why more people don't take the opportunity for such a bargain.
We'll be using the pool and fitness center for homeschool P.E. high school credit in the coming years. My teenage son will need 240 hours of physical education for his degree, and we just got approval to use the center for credit.
I'm trying to use the pool at least three times a week for my own physical fitness as well, and I'm teaching my daughter to swim. I feel so much better after having fit in an hour of swimming a few times a week this summer. I have more energy now and unlike other work-outs, I'm not drained afterwards.
Check out your community center resources. It's much less expensive than a private fitness center/pool membership. You might have the center all to yourself during the week!
We still have our little above ground pool, but it's no good for laps. I do get in a little exercise in it like stretching and stationary leg and arm work.
We'll be using the pool and fitness center for homeschool P.E. high school credit in the coming years. My teenage son will need 240 hours of physical education for his degree, and we just got approval to use the center for credit.
I'm trying to use the pool at least three times a week for my own physical fitness as well, and I'm teaching my daughter to swim. I feel so much better after having fit in an hour of swimming a few times a week this summer. I have more energy now and unlike other work-outs, I'm not drained afterwards.
We still have our little above ground pool, but it's no good for laps. I do get in a little exercise in it like stretching and stationary leg and arm work.
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