I couldn't resist the hype...

************Edited to Add:  Some of you have asked where I found my knock-off necklace.  I noticed that the seller is no longer on Ebay.  However, if you go to ebay and search "J. Crew Bubble Necklace," you will find a bunch of sellers in a similar price range and all varieties of color.********************************************************************


You know what I'm talking about. 

Source: gabbagabbagorg.tumblr.com via Apples on Pinterest

You've heard other bloggers post about it. 

Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com via Jesslyn on Pinterest

You've seen it all over Pinterest.

Source: futilish.com via Elke on Pinterest

Yes, I'm referring to the iconic J. Crew Bubble Necklace.  Not the real one, mind you.  But, the knock-off version that can be found on Ebay for the incredibly low price of $13.99 (said in my best QVC salesperson voice).

I couldn't resist and had to buy one for myself.  I anxiously awaited it's arrival from China.  About three weeks after ordering, this beauty arrived in my mailbox.  I think I've worn it every day since.

If you've thought about ordering one of these, DO IT!  The quality is great, as is the price.  I kind of want one in every color.

Bountiful Baskets and a Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe

Eating healthy is a constant struggle for me.  I find it helps if I stock up on healthy snacks, like fruits and veggies, and don't even bring the junk food into my house.  Once the junk is here, I can't help but eat it.  And, no, I can never stop at one bite, one cookie, one chip.  I like to eat it until it's gone.

For the last six months, I've participated in something called "Bountiful Baskets."  It's basically a food co-op.  I go on their website every other Monday and place an order.  I always order one "basket," which is 50% fruits and 50% vegetables, costing $15.  Sometimes I order "add ons," like loaves of homemade bread, granola, or bulk amounts of fruit.  The add-ons vary each week.

On Saturday, I go and pick up my basket.  It's always fun to see what's in the basket because it varies each week.  Whatever it is, it's always a LOT of stuff.  This week, for example, I got 2 acorn squash, romaine, kale, a cucumber, 5 mangos, 6 tomatoes, a bag of plums, a bag of apricots, a pineapple, a bag of apples, a honeydew melon and a huge bunch of bananas in my basket for $15.  I also ordered 5 loaves of homemade honey wheat bread for $12 and 8 packs of strawberries for $11.

I like that it forces me to try new foods (like Jerusalem artichokes...delicious!) and to be creative about cooking all of these goodies.  This week, I froze some of the strawberries for smoothies (see my recipes for green smoothies here).  I also made strawberry freezer jam.

If you've never made freezer jam, you have to try it.  It's so easy and doesn't require any tricky canning techniques.   Best of all, it only takes five minutes max to make a batch.

Strawberry Freezer Jam
1 2/3 cup strawberries (hulled and pounded with a potato masher), this is about 1 pint
2/3 cup sugar
2 T instant fruit pectin

This is fruit pectin.  Make sure you get "instant" pectin that doesn't require cooking.  It's usually in the same grocery store aisle as baking goods.

Mix the sugar and pectin.  Add the smushed strawberries and stir for three minutes.  Put in a storage container (I just use tupperware).  The jam is ready after about 30 minutes.  It can be stored in the fridge for 3 weeks or the freezer for a year.

The jam is great on bread, but I LOVE to use it as a topping on vanilla ice cream (I know, I know...not so healthy) or mixed into vanilla Greek yogurt.  I might even eat a spoonful straight out of the jar when no one is looking.

This post isn't sponsored by Bountiful Baskets, but I encourage you to check them out.  Right now, they are in 20 states, but if they are not in your state, you can contact them about starting a new site. 

Like me, I know many of you are cheap thrifty and struggle to feed your families good, healthy, "real" food.  Bountiful Baskets is great because it keeps my fridge stocked and I hate to let food go bad, so I feel obligated to find ways to prepare this healthy food (rather than throwing a frozen pizza in the oven!  Oh, wait, I might still make pizza or fish sticks, but I always try to make something healthy to go along with it).

As always, I'm interested in any tips or tricks you have to eat healthily and/or frugally.

Estate Sale Finds and Link Party Reminder

On Friday morning a friend texted me about an estate sale she saw in our area.  I hurried over and this is what I saw:

It was a little overwhelming, in a good way!  It looked like nothing had been thrown away in decades.  There were half-empty jars of Vaseline that looked like they were from the fifties.  There were numerous (at least 50!) complete sets of china and glassware galore.  Those sticks in the front of the picture above are all fishing rods.

There was so much stuff that it was piled on open trailers.  The lady hosting the sale said that they had to much more that they would be continuing to bring stuff out for at least two more weeks!

I got a couple of small things.

These plates would be fun for a tea party or to serve dessert.

Big K picked out this rocking chair.

I've been looking for a little table for my entryway.  As you know, I usually paint most of my furniture, but I kind of like this dark wood "as is."  The brass cranes were from the sale too.

I got a couple of mirrors.

This bookcase was only $3.  I'm thinking about painting it and putting it in one of the kid's rooms or maybe selling it.  All of this, including some books and another mirror came to $50!  I might have to see what they have next weekend.

Speaking of selling, I finished my first piece of furniture since last September.  As soon as I put it on Craigslist, it sold!  I'll show you some pictures later this week.

Did you get lucky finding any treasures at yard sales over the weekend?

Don't forget, tomorrow is the big linky party/blog hop for the end of the Color My World Challenge.  Link up a post showing how you incorporated a new color into your home.  Your post will show up on all of the Color My World participant's blogs and each one of us will be picking a few features.  Link up and YOU could be featured!!!

Couponing 101

I have been "couponing" for almost three years.  By no means am I an extreme couponer...someone who gets carts-full of groceries for pennies.  But I do average saving about 30% on my grocery bills.  Over the past three years I have drifted in and out of couponing.  When I'm diligent about couponing, I'm amazed at how much I can save.

Don't be scared to start couponing.  I'm not super organized and I don't have much extra time on my hands.  I only spend about one hour per week couponing.  On Sundays, I clip coupons from the paper.  I have two subscriptions to the paper so I can get double the coupons.  For awhile, I was crazy about printing all kinds of printable coupons and finding e-coupons, but I don't do that as much anymore.

I also used to cut almost every coupon, even if I didn't really like the product.  For example, I would clip a Tabasco coupon, knowing that we rarely use Tabasco.  I didn't want to miss a "deal." What's a deal?   If Tabasco went on sale and I could use my coupon in addition to the sale to get it for pennies, that would be a deal.  Now, I only clip coupons for products we actually like and use.  Why would I want 10 bottles of Tabasco, even if they were only 5 cents each?

Once my coupons are cut, I organize them in my coupon binder.  This is the most time-consuming part of couponing.

My coupon binder is an old three-ring binder filled with translucent sleeves that I stuff the coupons into.  It's nothing fancy.

The sections of my binder are:

Cleaning supplies/household items
Personal care items
Dairy
Deli
Food
Snacks
Drinks
Cereal
Baking supplies
Frozen foods

Each week when I organize my binder, I also throw away any coupons that are expired.  American military members living abroad are able to use expired coupons at the stores on their bases.  So, I would send my expired coupons to my friend whose husband was stationed in Germany.  But, they have since moved back to the US.  I think this is a great use for all of those expired coupons!

Did you know there are TONS of couponing websites that match up coupons with sales that are happening at your local grocery store, Target, CVS or Walgreen's? 

Becentsable is a great website that can help you locate the deals at your local stores.

Each week before I go shopping, I check my local couponing website to find the deals at my store.  I try to plan meals around what's on sale.  I usually leave my couponing binder in the car, so I have it whenever I make impromptu stops at the store.  If I'm pressed for time, I don't look at the couponing website, but I always have my binder with me in the store.  So, if I see yogurt on sale, I'll be able to quickly check if I have a coupon to make the sale even sweeter.  I use coupons on items that aren't on sale too.  If I know we need salsa or pasta, I almost always have a coupon to use.

Some of the best stores for couponing are Target and Walgreen's because they let you "stack" coupons.  This means that you can use a "store" coupon plus a "manufacturer" coupon.  If an item is on sale and then you "stack" coupons, you can usually get it for a great price.

This weekend I made two trips to Target.  Here are my receipts.

As you can see, I spent $93.64 and saved $60.44.  I also have a Target Red Card.  The card lets you save 5% on every transaction plus gives you free shipping on online purchases.

I forgot a few things, so I ran back.  Here's my second receipt.

On this trip, I spent about $7 out-of-pocket and saved $24.90!!!  Seeing receipts like these make me want to stay diligent about couponing.

While couponing is not glamourous or exciting, I LOVE to see how much I've saved and to have that money available to buy fun things.  Please feel free to ask me any questions about couponing.  I love a deal and I love to help my friends get a great deal too!

Speaking of fun purchases, I just received a 9x12 jute rug from West Elm in the mail this week.  It had been on backorder for almost a month, so I was pretty excited to unroll it in my living room.  Look what I found:

It has at least 5 places where the jute is unraveling.  I sent West Elm an email today, but I'm not sure if they will take the rug back.  It's also kind of a hassle to ship back a 9x12 rug!

I'll keep you updated.

Target Things

I was shopping for a waterproof matress pad at Target this weekend (oh, the glamourous life of a mom!), when I came across some great deals.  All of the Christmas stuff was 90% off.  I got a couple of stockings for my new dogs for about $1 each.  It's a great time to stock up on wrapping supplies too.  A lot of the paper was neutral enough that it could be used on gifts throughout the year, not just Christmas.
January is also a great time to buy linens.  Many stores have white sales in January and have their best prices on linens.  I found some basic cotton sheets, perfect for the kids, for about $4/sheet and cotton/poly sets that included flat sheet, fitted sheet, and pillowcases for $8.

Danielle Oakey had recently blogged about Target's current home decor, so of course I had to check that out as well.  It did not disappoint in person.  I saw a few things that I would like, but I'll wait a month or so.  Decor doesn't seem to sell well at my Target and it always ends up on clearance for crazy prices.

Here are some favorites:

Source: target.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

I have a weakness for Fu dogs and these pups came in a variety of colors.  I also like the gray laquered box pictured here.

Gold? Chevron?  I'm sold on this cute lampshade.

Source: target.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

And this pillow. The pillow comes in a pretty pink or teal chevron too.

Source: target.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Pretty.

Source: target.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Who doesn't love a little global accent?

Source: target.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Throw one of these on top of a stack of books and add some pretty style to your bookshelves.

Source: target.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Target has come a long way from the cheap retailer I remember from childhood!