Money Saving IDEAS!

Shake your printer cartridge for maximum value

As you probably know, Clark hates to waste things. He had been using the same pair of headphones in the studio since the '90s. Even though they were old and ratty, he used them until the end of their life. Now he has a new pair, so don't be surprised if he's able to hear you callers a little bit better! Likewise, he holds onto clothes long after they should be thrown away or given to charity. In fact, his wife has to periodically purge their closet and make the old threads "disappear."

Clark read a TechWorld.com report about how manufacturers of the cartridges we all use in our printers give you a notice that your cartridge in empty when nearly 60 percent of the ink is still left. If you throw it out at that point, more than half the ink you pay for goes unused! So when your computer tells you to replace the cartridge, instead just pull it out and shake it. You'll probably get several weeks more use out of it. After all, manufacturers have a clear financial incentive to shortchange you and make you buy more of their product. What you pay to print per page skyrockets if you throw that cartridge out or recycle it too early. Multi-ink cartridges are the worst because they have individual ink banks for up to three or four colors. Any one of them can run out before the others do. Another way to save money on ink cartridges is to get them refilled. Manufacturers hate it when you do this. Studies haven't yet shown decisively if the refilled ink is good quality or not. So just shake it up, baby! Samsung is one of the few companies that makes printers with a toner saver button that can reduce the amount of ink you use per page by 40 percent. Over time, that becomes a great savings.

Taken from: clarkhoward.com

My Thoughts:
I believe lots of money can be saved if we take the time to explore great web sites that give us the advantage of some one else's experience in free things and ideas that can help us to do so. Saving money on printer ink is one of those expenses we can reduce. Clark Howard has a radio talk show and we have often listened to him. Another suggestion that he gave was how to protect your Identity. Instead of paying for a service such a "Life Lock," which he says is good, he recommends that we put a "freeze" on our accounts. Go to his website to get the additional info for freezing your accounts for your particular state. I believe he said that to put a "freeze" on your account is free.

Stories with VALUES! great for kids

Edward the Emu
By: Sheena Knowles
Illustrated by: Rod Clement

Story Summary:
Edward is tired of being an emu, so he decides to try being something else for a change. First he spends some time swimming with the seals. Next, he lounges with the lions. He even slithers with the snakes. But Edward soon discovers that being an emu may not be so bad after all. So he heads back to his pen, only to find a big surprise awaiting him . . .

My Thoughts:
I believe we have a host of negativity and role modeling in our world. To have something that bolsters, edifies, renews and helps, such as books with VALUES, can make a huge difference in our children's lives along with our own. We all need good things to think about and to ponder upon. Our lives, in my opinion, will become much happier with GOODNESS and TRUTH in it!

Money Saving IDEAS!

Making your own cleaners

Making cleaners does not mean that you need to purchase a ton of items; in fact, most cleaners can be made from things you already have in your house. The main components that I like to work with are white vinegar, baking soda, liquid dish washing soap, and lemon juice. To get started, however, you may need to purchase a few spray bottles. I pick these spray bottles up from our local dollar store. These clear spray bottles will make it easy to measure and label your new cleaners in your house.

All-Purpose Cleaner - Mix together two tablespoons of mild dishwashing soap and two cups of water in a spray bottle and give it a shake. Use this anywhere that you would use a commercial all-purpose spray. This cleaner is particularly great for countertops, bathroom surfaces, and high chairs.

Glass Cleaner - Mix together one part white vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle. Spray this solution on your mirrors and windows and dry your windows with newspaper. The newspaper is great for lint-free drying.

Homemade Oven Cleaner/Deep Kitchen Cleaner - Mix a paste of three parts warm water to one part baking soda to clean away kitchen stains or to clean your oven.

Bathroom Cleaner - Mix dish washing liquid with baking soda until you have a thick paste and use this throughout your bathroom.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner - No measuring is required with this recipe. Sprinkle a little baking soda into your toilet bowl and then pour a little vinegar in and watch it fizz it up. Give it a swish with your toilet brush and then flush.

Floor Cleaner - Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to a gallon of water. The scent of the vinegar will fade in approximately an hour, but you can also add a couple of drops of essential oil to help with the scent.

Furniture Polish - Mix 1/4 cup olive oil with four tablespoons of vinegar and two teaspoons of lemon juice. Pour into a spray bottle and shake well before using. If you do not use all of it in one cleaning session, store the remainder in the fridge, as the lemon juice can go sour.

Silver Cleaner - Although I don't polish silver very frequently, this is a great to have in your bag of tricks. In a large bowl (or you can use your kitchen sink), place strips of aluminum foil and place the silver pieces on top. Cover the silver with boiling water and then add three tablespoons of baking soda and soak for ten minutes.

By making your own cleaners, you will save hundreds of dollars over the course of the year. What a difference that will make to your grocery budget and helping the environment is also a wonderful benefit of your fabulous frugalness.

Taken from: stretcher.com

My Thoughts:
I believe that we should be wise in how we spend our money. It is so easy to get caught up in the world and what it offers. What it offers may not really be what we need and or want. I have enjoyed this site and found some very handy and helpful things one can do to help S T R E T C H our dollars.

FOOD for THOUGHT: Understanding

CLICK on image to enlarge

Here is another food for thought page that I scrapbooked.

My Thoughts:
I like things that are short and sweet and say so much. I believe if we will ponder, reflect, and incorporate into our lives truthful thoughts, we can be so much happier overall.

Tooley Family Reunion

Well, on the 10-12 of July we had our 2nd family reunion at our home. We have ours every 2 years and it was decided this year that in 2010 we would have it again at our home. We had about 50 all total there. We had so much fun and made a lot of money for our next reunion due to our Aunt Peggy's sewing and the auction. She made 3 teepees for the little kids, alot of misc. items. She also made 1 very large teepee along with a girls Indian costume and a boys as well along with the headdress and drums. The kids so loved it. Above is the family picture that I just scrapbooked, but of course at picture time, not everyone was there. CLICK on photo to enlarge

Carrot Cake Recipe

This is the absolute best one I have ever eaten. I didn’t even put the cream cheese icing on it as it was so so good with just the glaze. This is a real keeper!!!

* Cake:
* 2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3 large eggs
* 2 cups sugar
* 3/4 cups canola oil
* 3/4 cups buttermilk
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 2 cups grated carrots
* 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
* 3 1/2 oz flaked coconut
* 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

* Buttermilk Glaze:
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
* 1 teaspoon vanilla

* Cream Cheese Frosting:
* 3/4 cup butter, softened
* 1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
* 1 3oz pkg cream cheese, softened
* 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions
1. Line three 9 inch round cake pans with wax paper: lightly grease and flour wax paper; set pans aside.
2. Stir together first 4 ingredients.
3. Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
4. Fold in carrots and next 3 ingredients.
5. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean in middle of cakes.
7. Buttermilk Glaze:
8. Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in saucepan over medium high heat.
9. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes.
10. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
11. Drizzle buttermilk glaze evenly over layers; cool in pans on wire racks
12. 15 minutes.
13. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
14. Cream Cheese Frosting:
15. Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
16. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.
17. Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.
18. You can garnish cake top with chopped pecans or walnuts.

NOTE: I use 1 bundt cake pan and when the cake is finished baking, I use a wooden spoon and poke holes through the top and pour the glaze down through the holes. I let it set up and cool before I remove it from the pan.

Funny Pictures!

Every once in awhile I get something that is so funny. Often I scrapbook them. Here are a couple of those funny things that I enjoy.

CLICK on image to view & read in a larger format

MormonAds

I love MormonAds. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publishes a "New Era" magazine in which most every month they publish a MormonAd. I treasure these pictures as they say so much in such a few words, but the picture itself says alot. Here are a couple of them for you to enjoy and think on if you wish.
The original Mormon ad is in the scrapbook page that I made of it.

CLICK on image to view & read in a larger format.

Digi Scrapbooking

I so have enjoyed this wonderful way to create. I have loved to create, but have not had the ability to do so. When I discovered digi scrapbooking, it make it so much easier to do. I will share with you the main web page when I have downloaded free digi scrapbooking kits that others make. I save them on my computer and then I use Scrapbook Max program to create the pages I like using the kits I have downloaded. It is so much fun to me.

Here is where the free kits are. There are also kits that you can purchase if you like:
http://digifree.blogspot.com/
scrapbookmax.com (for the free trial program, it is $30.00 or so if you purchase it)

Above are some of the pages I have made using these free kits.

CLICK on images to view & read in a larger format!

Genealogy

Family History News

“Family History News,” Ensign, July 2008, p80

Genealogy Guides Aid in Research

FamilySearch.org has added England and Scotland to its online collection of Finding Records of Your Ancestors genealogy guides. The free, downloadable workbooks explain each step of the research process and include important Web sites, search tips, and information on how to find and use different records.

The series includes Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, and Sweden guides. The guides are currently available in English; the Mexico guide is also available in Spanish. There is also a guide for those searching for African-American ancestors. Access these and other helps at FamilySearch.org. Click the Search tab, then Research Helps.

FamilySearch Web Site Enhanced by FamilyLink

A partnership with FamilyLink.com will improve navigation on FamilySearch.org, reduce research time, and allow major search engines to comb the Church’s Family History Library Catalog.

The new Web elements provided by FamilyLink.com will allow users to link directly to other sources, post comments, and make contributions, such as adding missing information to a source. Some of the enhancements will be implemented in 2008.

British Soldiers, Seamen Records in FamilySearch

FamilySearch is teaming with a United Kingdom family history Web site to provide online access to records of deceased British soldiers and seamen dating as far back as the eighteenth century.

Findmypast.com and FamilySearch received licenses to digitize the Chelsea Pensioners retired soldiers’ records from 1760 to 1914. Anther project will make available British merchant seamen’s records from 1835 to 1941. Many of the twentieth century records will include photographs of sailors and personal details of naval voyages.

U.S. Civil War Records, 1860 Census Online

Footnote.com has granted permission for FamilySearch to publish Civil War pension indexes and the 1860 U.S. Census, which includes some slave ownership information. The files usually include a soldier’s full name, rank, and company. Though the war ended in 1865, the pension index extends to veterans who served between 1861 and 1917. Users will be able to search segments of the collections as they are uploaded to pilot.familysearch.org/recordssearch.

FOOD for THOUGHT: Kindness

Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes. . .Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Frito Pie Recipe

I would like to start out this blog with a terrific recipe. Come back often as I post lots of good things here.


Frito Pie
So good!

Meat Mixture:
Hamburger, onions, garlic sauted and fried together.
Add cream of chicken soup
Add taco seasoning
Add Green chilis
Add milk to the right consistency

It should look like a beef stroganoff mixture, only with a spanish taste to it.

Layer on your plate:

Fritos
Meat Mixture
Cheese
Tomatoes
Salsa
Sour Cream
Lettuce
Jalapeno peppers

This is so yummy!