Just like the title says, I'm just an ol country gal, born and raised in the south in a small southern town, always have lived in the country. I'm married and have two children, one grown and teaching high school and the other just started high school this year.
I enjoy thrift shopping, crafting, yard and estate sales and gardening. Due to my health though I'm not able to go and do like I used to. I'm unable to work outside the home anymore and am presently looking for some way to generate some income from home.
My first thought was dressing them like old tv show characters such as Darla, Alfalfa and Spanky from The Little Rascals, Howdy Doody, Gilligan and Skipper from Gilligan's Island, Scooby Doo and Shaggy, etc. You could make face masks of the real actors who portrayed them and have them on paddles or dowels so the person could just hold them up over their faces and then dress in character. Span the genres so all would know some of the characters. Maybe even come up with one of those old console tvs to put at one end of the float. Everyone has unforgettable memories of their favorite tv shows they grew up watching. Good luck! ... View related article.
This is how I freeze my squash now since freezing it fresh cut doesn't work. I wash and cut my squash and onions, place in pan with some bacon grease, season to taste and cook down just like normal. When cooked to desired consistency, I take my potato masher and mash the squash and onions up good and let cool completely, then bag them in freezer bags. Thaw and heat when ready! Tastes great! ... View related article.
Since you mentioned you had a small budget, my first piece of advice is to NETWORK! Don't be afraid to ask people for help, most are more than happy to assist on such a happy occasion! My hubby and I had an outdoor wedding and reception 2 years ago, in his sister's backyard with a country theme. Our invitations were bought on clearance at Walmart and we did the printing ourselves with a note(printed on sunflower bordered paper) that explained it would be held outside in the heat and for the guests to feel free to come dressed in their denim and/or something cool.
Then I sat down and began to think of who I knew and what talents they could offer since we were on a very tight budget! The location was free, sister also had outdoor furniture that we bought paint for and her hubby put a fresh new coat of paint on for the occasion, sis also borrowed tables and fold up chairs from her church for free so we would have plenty of seating and eating area. Music was downloaded from internet and burned onto cd's for wedding march and afterward during the reception, we used our own cd player.
Food was heavy finger foods and was brought by several of the guests who were close friends, sandwiches, chips & dips, veggie trays, sausage balls, cookies, meatballs, veggie pizzas, orange blossoms, and more. Nothing cost us a dime except for the wedding cake which we had made by a lady who worked at a local grocery store bakery but did cakes at home for extra money. Even the groom's cake was baked and donated by a dear friend of mine! The only thing we did pay for were the drinks and ice.
The preacher was free since we were married by my brother-in-law, so that was a great savings. We didn't use any attendants, it was just us and the preacher. Decorations were made by me, fresh cut sunflowers were brought by a friend and used in country crocks, sitting around. I made fans out of card stock with a pic of bride and groom on them and they came in handy with the heat. Also had a galvanized washtub full of floating bride and groom rubber duckies for everyone to take home. I made my own bouquet and the boutineers for groom and preacher. Centerpieces were Mason jars filled half full with red stones and had votives nestled down inside. Red and white gingham tablecloths covered the tables.
We had a barn-like storage shed out in one corner of the yard and we stacked hay bales in front of it with antique churns, ceramic roosters and chickens, all kinds of country things placed around on the bales and made quite a cute backdrop for pictures to be made in front of. It really turned out to be a beautiful wedding! So it can be done for little of nothing, plan, prepare and ask for help! Best wishes for a beautiful wedding and a long, happy life together! ... View related article.
I agree with Bama_Jypsy, a good ol buttercream icing would do the trick! Mama used that icing on everything and it is soooo simple to make and you can tint it any color you choose with simple food coloring! 1 box of confectionary sugar 1 stick margarine, room temp 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring milk to desired consistency Empty confec sugar into mixing bowl, add margarine, mix on medium until smooth, add vanilla. Add milk until desired consistency reached. You can divide into different bowls and tint into however many colors you choose and then drop down into pastry bag and pipe onto cupcakes! This icing will harden just a bit when it sets. Good luck! ... View related article.
Along that same line using the balloon sticks, you could put sand in the bottom of Mason jars and place the sticks down into that and then pull tissue paper up around the outside of the jar, gathering at the neck with curling ribbon or wired ribbon. ... View related article.
I had the same thought but instead of painting the ball I was going to glue those stones to it like you use in the bottom of a beta fish vase. I thought that would be pretty and reflect the sun. ... View related article.
It can be a daunting task, especially when you see these women on tv and they've just went and bought $150 worth of groceries and only paid pennies for them! Believe me, I know! But it can be done, there's just a trick to it and you have to research and read and really study the blogs, the sale papers and spreadsheets to be able to get the hang of it!
I'm just beginning to really get earnest about the coupon thing, I've always clipped coupons but never really sat down and matched them to the sales each week and planned my strategy as I am these days. But with the economy in the shape it's in and no one knowing what tomorrow will bring, I want to try and make sure my family will have the necessities and plenty to sustain us if something were to happen to our income.
My family of 3 includes my hubby, who is the only one that works and a 15 year old son who eats like there won't be a tomorrow! LOL! Here are some tips I've learned so far. Plan your menus each week and post them so everyone will know what to expect and won't eat something you have bought for a certain dish.
I haven't implemented this one yet, but plan on starting next week. When you plan your menu, take inventory of what you already have in your pantry and freezer and try to start from there. Use what you already have on hand and add to it.
Start with a good base of coupons and keep adding. Sunday papers, coupon websites and individual company websites are good places to use. I keep my coupons in a nylon caddy with dividers that has a velcro closing and I keep it in my purse at all times just in case I run into a sale and need a coupon. Some keep theirs in a notebook with plastic card sleeves inside and slip their coupons in the holders so it makes it easy to see the coupons enclosed. That's a good idea, but seems bundle some to me. I've also read it's a good idea to set you up a separate email account for your couponing so your private email won't be bombarded with a lot of spam and junk emails.
Watch your sale papers each week, I've also learned that the sale items rotate every so many weeks and so do the coupons, so by the time your first coupon expires, it will be time for a new one to come out. The time to buy and use your coupon is when the item is on sale and buy multiples, stock up if possible.
This not only saves you money but also begins your stockpile of groceries. You'd be amazed at some of the pics I've seen of women's pantries! Groceries stacked on shelves, toilet paper from floor to ceiling and cabinets full! And the thing is they only paid pennies for it by waiting til it was on sale and using their coupons!
As far as making your dollar stretch at the grocery store, we shop at a store here that reduces their meats each day and they put them out around 9:30am for the customers to buy. We always make sure we're there on our grocery day to peruse through and take advantage of the mark downs. And there isn't a thing wrong with the meat either, just take it home and throw it in the freezer!
We usually buy family packs and when I get home I'll separate them into smaller portions and freeze. We buy rice and sugar by the big bags. Bread can be bought at the day old store but we usually just pick it up at Walmart since DH works there, it's just alot easier. We do buy alot of bread off their clearance rack and throw it in the freezer to use as needed.
Another thing I do to stretch the grocery money is to go to the Farmers Market during the summer months and buy bushels of fresh peas and butter beans, boxes of peaches and tomatoes and then blanch them and bag them and freeze. Last summer we picked our own blackberries and I put those in the freezer too. Believe it or not, we're still eating off those fresh veggies and fruits!
Below are some of my favorite websites that I use to research and have learned a lot from in the past several weeks, I hope they help you too! Sorry for such a long post, but we all need all the help we can get these days! I'm only too happy to share what I've learned so far! afullcup.com shortcuts.com swapsavers.com freebies4mom.com northerncheapskate.com moneysavingmom.com survivingthestores.com mommysavers.com hillbillyhousewife.com One other point is remember your drug stores too! A lot of food items can be bought there and you can stack your coupons at these places while also earning extra care bucks at CVS and getting rebates from Walgreen's and Rite Aid. There are articles on the websites I included that will explain everything. Good luck Jan! ... View related article.
All your major grocery chains should have their coupon policy located on their websites. My suggestion would be to visit each website and read their policy first, then if it states that they accept all manufacturer's coupons, print off a copy and place it in your coupon organizer to show the manager at each store. At least this gives you something in hand to take your stand with. Walmart does accept coupons printed offline because it states so in their policy and I use them there every week.
If your grocery store doesn't accept internet coupons then I'd take the time to send the corporate office an email and let them hear your opinion. It never hurts to let yourself be heard! In these hard economic times the American families need every little bit of help they can get! ... View related article.
