If you’re dreading the expense of back to school shopping, follow these steps to savings!

1. Find out how much you can spend on your children’s school supplies and stick to your budget, no matter what.

2. Get a list ready. Make a list of all of the things that your children will need, including clothes and lunch boxes. Make sure you add the overall expected costs in a column on that list, too. Then, assess what your children actually need and what they merely want. Always get what they need first and only focus on the things that they want if you have any money left over.

3. Before you go out shopping, rummage around the house and look for things that you might already have from the list. Search for things your older children might still have from their younger years that your younger children might need now and look around your office, too. Remember: not all school supplies have to be new.

4. Look for useful coupons for either offline or online shopping. A lot of retailers tend to provide huge discounts on shoes, clothes and electronics, so discounts are especially useful. Don’t be afraid to ask for discounts if you have a K-12 ID or a college ID, either. You can really save a lot of money on back to school supplies this way.

5. Start shopping earlier. If you can, get your children’s school supply lists early, so that you can get everything that they need as early as possible, too. And, when it comes to clothes, don’t buy everything at once. Instead, have a nice set of new clothes ready for their first week of school and then spread out the rest of their clothes over the next few months.

6. Shop around and look for sales. Browse through your local newspapers for the best sales and take full advantage of all of them. You don’t need to buy everything from a single store – remember that. Instead, compare prices from different stores first and figure out how you can save the most money as possible before making your decision.

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Patrick Jones is a writer for Brookside Patio Furniture which specializes in resin wicker patio furniture which can be stored in this recommended Toledo storage facility.

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photo courtesy of FreeWebPhotos.com

Toward the end of every semester, college students run out of money and survive on ramen noodles! We’ve all been there, we’ve all learned from our money mistakes, so let’s help the next generation avoid the ramen noodle diet!

10 Tips to Help your college student manage money and avoid the ramen noodle diet!

1. Many colleges offer free workshops on money management and budgeting, encourage your student to attend!
2. Establish a written budget! Let’s suppose they have $160 a month to cover weekend meals, haircuts, entertainment and clothes. Help them allocate money in each of those areas.
3. Write down EVERYTHING they spend money on for an entire month, from a $1 coke to a $15 haircut. This is an eye opener when it comes to wasting money! Just one Starbucks per day can add up to $100 a month! A better alternative might be a coffee pot!
4. PAY CASH! If your student has $160 spending money each month, encourage them to get $40 cash out each week and when it’s gone, it’s gone.
5. Teach them to love coupons! College publications are full of coupons for restaurants, hair salons and entertainment! Suggest that they keep an envelope of coupons in their car, purse or wallet to avoid forgetting them.
6. Groupon is a great option for finding fun on a budget.
   

 
 
 
 
 

7. Introduce them to the world of discounted gift cards – the new way to save money! Save up to 35% on clothing, restaurants, movies and more! PlasticJungle.com
8. Goodwill, Plato’s Closet and Thrift Stores are a great way to stretch the clothing budget.
9. If their expenses are greater than their spending money, they have 2 choices: cut expenses or get a job.
10. Introduce them to TheBudgetDiet.com for tips on budgeting, cheap dates, coupons and more! Don’t forget the freebies page!

What money management tips do you have for college students?

This money saving mom knows that planning ahead is the best way to save money on back to school shopping. Don’t procrastinate, or you’ll be the mom running around town the day before school starts, buying more than you need and saving nothing! Check out 5 ways to save on back to school shopping by planning ahead.
 

1. Plan ahead by marking your calendar with your state’s tax free weekend dates. You’ll enjoy instant savings of about 8% depending upon you state’s tax rate.
2. Plan ahead by taking an inventory of your child’s clothing and last year’s school supplies. Make a list of what your child needs instead of shopping without a list and buying every item that your child thinks they need. There’s no need to buy a new backpack every year if last year’s backpack is in good shape!
3. Plan ahead by checking the back to school sales ads before you shop. Your Sunday newspaper will be full of back to school sale inserts to help you discover the best deals for clothes, shoes and supplies.
4. Plan ahead by scheduling a back to school shopping day(s) soon! If you wait until the last minute you’ll be rushed and have little time or patience to search for bargains.
5. Plan ahead by purchasing discounted gift cards for back to school shopping. Discounted gift cards take about 1 week to arrive, so order today, and you’ll be ready to shop next week! Discounted gift cards are available for stores like Kohl’s, Macy’s, Office Depot, Children’s Place, Old Navy and many more!




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

How are you planning ahead to save money on back to school shopping?

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Image courtesy of: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’m tired of wasting money on science fair display boards! This year, we’ve bought our last display board because removable adhesive putty has come to the rescue!

Instead of throwing away the board after the science fair, we’ll simply remove the papers and reuse the board!

It’s another budget friendly and earth friendly idea from The Budget Diet!

Photo courtesy of Free Web Photos

I took my daughter to Plato’s Closet today, and we left with 3 tops and 1 pair of jeans for $39! Yes…it was a lesson on budgeting for her from her mom, the money saving expert!

Yes…they were all the brands she loves: American Eagle, Hollister and Abercrombie.

If you’re not familiar with Plato’s Closet, they buy and sell trendy, name brand, gently used clothing and accessories for teens. Visit the Plato’s Closet website to find a location near you!

Thankfully, she’s finally convinced that bargain shopping is the way to go. I simply explained to her that we’re going to spend “X” amount…would she like to go to the mall and buy 1 item or go to Plato’s Closet and get 4 items? Our shopping day gave me the chance to teach her how to bargain shop and give her a lesson on budgeting!

So, the next time your teen wants to go shopping…try this approach!

Happy bargain shopping with your teen!

Early in the school year, I love to make cookies for the teachers, the bus driver, the principal, the secretary and all the folks that help get the school year off to a smooth start.

I’ve come up with a clever and inexpensive gift bag to put the cookies in…

1. Start with a simple brown lunch bag.
2. Put the cookies in a ziploc bag before putting them in the brown lunch bag.
3. Fold over the top.
4. Punch 2 holes through the top.
5. Insert a red plaid ribbon.

 
Here are a few of The Budget Diet girl’s favorite cookie recipes to fill those bags with!
 
Everything Cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 sticks butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. vanilla
• 1, 12oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups coconut
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

 

• Heat oven to 350^
• Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt in a bowl.
• In another bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth & creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars; beat to combine, about 2 minutes.
• Add eggs & vanilla, beat well.
• Stir in flour mixture until just combined.
• Stir in all remaining ingredients.
• For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased cookie sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.
• Bake at 350^ for 17 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
• Yield 2 dozen giant, yummy cookies!

 
Toffee Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1 cup craisins
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup bits-o-brickle toffee pieces

 

• Mix flour and baking soda together, set aside.
• Mix butter and sugars together until smooth.
• Add vanilla and egg.
• Add flour mixture.
• Fold in oats, craisins, chocolate chips & toffee pieces.
• Roll into balls and place 2″ apart on a nonstick cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350^ for 8 – 10 minutes or until light brown.
• Yield: 5 dozen

 
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups oatmeal (measure into a food processor and grind into a fine powder)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 2 tsp. hot water
• 1, 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

 

• Cream the butter and the sugars.
• Add eggs and vanilla.
• Add flour, oatmeal, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
• Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
• Roll into 1″ balls and place 2″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350^ for 9 minutes.
• Yield: 4 dozen

 
Don’t underestimate the power of a homemade cookie!

Happy Baking!

Guest Post by Kelly Wilson, an editor for Teaching Resource Center.

Top Three Ways to Help Kids Organize

Fight disorganization in your household by helping your kids get organized. These top three organizing tips all start with the letter ‘s’ so that they’re easy to remember and put into practice right away.

Before Your Begin

The trick to helping children organize is to figure out what will work for them and what will help keep you sane. For example, I absolutely cannot stand soda cans scattered around the house. This sounds like a small thing, but I’m simply happier when soda cans are put in the recycle bin and not cluttering up the house.

Decide what’s important for you concerning your child’s organizational skills. For me, these categories include putting clothes away, finishing and turning in homework, picking up toys and keeping track of library books – these things need to be put where they belong on a regular basis.

After you decide what’s important, incorporate the child in the decision making process. Find out what’s important to him/her. What does your child need? What’s frustrating to your child when it comes to good organization? What are your needs as the parent?

Communicate these needs, and take all of this information into account while both of you set up an organizational system. Below is a system that has worked for my family over the years and is easy to remember.

Special Papers

There is one simple rule: NO LOOSE PAPER. Set up one folder or large manila envelope for your child to take homework or other important papers to and from school. To avoid loose paper, I use a simple notebook and glue or tape any loose papers. My kids found this idea so useful that we each have our own notebooks to finish work, make lists and work on projects.

Spaces

Our mantra around the house is “Everything in its Place.” One way to achieve that is to give each person his or her specific space. Each member of our family has a bin that hangs on the wall in the kitchen. Whenever any of us finds stuff around the house that needs to be put away, we put it in the appropriate bin. This reduces clutter by keeping it off the kitchen counter, and each person puts his/her own items away!

Schedule

Children work best with routine. What does your child need to do when they get up in the morning? What about chores and finishing homework? Where does the backpack or homework folder go? To help my kids remember routines, I tape a 3×5 card to the refrigerator with one word for each task, i.e. Lunch, Breakfast, Homework, and Backpack. This same strategy works for the afternoon routine, which includes each person’s chores.

An organizational system is only as good as you consistently use it. Life happens and can disrupt any good system. If that happens once or twice, simply have a family meeting and start again. If the disruption is long-term or the system isn’t working, change it to help keep your organizational system running smoothly for everyone.

Kelly Wilson is an editor for Teaching Resource Center, providing classrooms with Teacher Supplies and free Teachers’ Lesson Plans for over 25 years.

Back to school means back to carpool, back to dance, back to scouts, back to church youth group, back to ball practice, back to PTO meetings…yes, back to crazy schedules!

Don’t let your busy schedule be an excuse to do the drive-thru for dinner. Declare this the school year of eating in, instead of eating out!

There will be no more excuses for eating out with these frugalicious (it means frugal and delicious) and fast dinner ideas, but first a few tidbits on how to manage to feed your family when…Johnny needs to eat at 5:00 before you take him to scouts, Sara needs to eat at 6:30 after you pick her up from dance, and your husband doesn’t get home from work until 7:30!

• Check your calendar each weekend and plan meals that will work with the family schedule!

• Learn to love your crockpot…add a few ingredients in the morning and dinner is ready whenever anybody needs to eat!

• Don’t forget your freezer! When you do have time to cook, make a habit of doubling recipes and freezing the extra. Casseroles are the easiest to freeze…simply cover the pan with aluminum foil and then wrap the entire pan in freezer paper. Don’t forget to label the casserole and include cooking instructions. Take the casserole out of the freezer 2 days prior to cooking…perfect for a busy day!

• Casserole for dinner? Why don’t you put your heated casserole in the insulated casserole carrying case that you use for potluck dinners? It will keep a casserole warm for about 2 hours…perfect!

• Let your kids do the cooking! If you’re a working mom, your kids just might have more free time than you to do the cooking! Click here to learn how to set-up a family cooking schedule. This summer my kids have each prepared 1 meal every week! They’re learning to cook, they’re eating their favorite foods, and I’m enjoying a few nights off in the kitchen!

Ready for the frugalicious and fast recipes?

• Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

• 3 lb. boneless pork roast or pork shoulder (very inexpensive if you buy them on sale!)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 12 oz. can Dr. Pepper
• 2, 18 oz. bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce

1. Put roast in crock pot.
2. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper.
3. Pour Dr. Pepper and 1 bottle of BBQ sauce on meat.
4. Cook on low 6 – 8 hours. Note: Meat is done when it shreds easily using the back of a spoon.
5. Drain and return to crock pot.
6. Using the back of a spoon, shred the meat in the crock pot.
7. Add the other bottle of BBQ sauce.
8. Reduce heat to warm until ready to serve.
9. Serve on buns.
10. Yield: 6 servings

• Make Your Own Nacho Bar or Burrito Bar

• Refried Beans
• 1, 16 oz. can refried beans
• 1 cup picante sauce
• 8 oz. Mexi-cheese, shredded
• 3/4 c. sour cream (reduced fat works fine!)
• 4 oz. cream cheese (reduced fat works fine!)

• Directions for Refried Beans:
• Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.
• Cover and cook on low 2 hours or until heated. Stir occasionally.
• Optional nacho bar or burrito bar toppings: shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, rice, black olives, jalapeños, guacamole, shredded cheese
• Yield: 6 servings.

• Taco Meat
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 cup picante sauce
• 1 can chili beans (do not drain)

• Directions for Taco Meat
• Brown beef and drain.
• Add picante sauce & beans.
• Simmer 10 minutes.
• Transfer to a crock pot to keep warm and then everyone can make their own taco, burrito or nachos! Just add: taco shells, flour tortillas, tortilla chips, grated Mexican blend cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, black olives and jalapenos!

• Crock Pot Red Beans & Rice

• 1 lb. dried red kidney beans
• 1 lb. smoked sausage sliced in 1″ pieces (turkey sausage, Andouille sausage, your choice!)
• 4 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 green bell pepper, diced or 1 cup frozen chopped bell pepper
• 1 onion, diced or 1 cup frozen chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
• 1 T. Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
• 2 cups rice, cooked

1. Combine all ingredients (except rice) in a crock pot.
2. Add 7 cups water.
3. Cover and cook on high 7 – 8 hours or until beans are tender.  Crock Pot times vary, so start checking your beans after 3 hours.
4. Serve over rice.
5. Yield: 4 servings

• French Bread Pizza
• 1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage
• 1 1/2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce (jar or homemade)
• 1 lb. loaf of French bread (a wide loaf works better than a skinny loaf!)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. In a skillet, brown beef or sausage over medium heat.
2. Stir in spaghetti sauce.
3. Cut bread in half, lengthwise.
4. Hollow out the bread just a little bit, so the meat sauce doesn’t overflow!
5. Place the bread on a baking sheet.
6. Spread meat sauce on bread.
7. Top with mozzarella.
8. Bake at 400 for 8 – 10 minutes.
9. Yield: 6 servings

• Southwest Salad

• 1 romaine lettuce, cut-up or 1 package of romaine hearts
• 3 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1, 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1, 15 oz. can of corn or mexi-corn, drained
• 2 cups mexi-cheese, shredded
• 1, 6 oz. can black olives, drained
• 2 cups tortilla chips, crushed
• diced chicken (optional, but a great way to use up leftover chicken!)
• 1/4 c. ranch dressing (reduced fat works fine!)
• 1/4 c. salsa

1. Toss together lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, corn, cheese, black olives & tortilla chips in a large salad bowl.
2. Dressing: mix together ranch dressing & salsa.
3. Toss salad with dressing.
4. Yield: 4 main dish servings.

• Lazy Day Lasagna

• 1, 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce – my personal favorite is Newman’s Own Sockarooni or Tomato Basil, find a coupon and it will cost about $2 a jar!
• 1, 16 oz. container cottage cheese (reduced fat works fine!)
• 2 c. mozzarella, shredded
• 1, 16 oz. package egg noodles

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain.
2. Return noodles to the pot and add spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese & mozzarella.
3. Stir until combine & enjoy the taste of lasagna without the work!
4. Yield: 4 servings.

The Budget Diet girl loves frugalicious and fast recipes, so check back often or click recipes on the left side of this page to discover more frugal, delicious and fast recipes!

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Photo #1 courtesy of Free Web Photos

Photo #2 courtesy of nuchylee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net