Harris Teeter Triple Coupons April 24-30, 2013

harris teeter banner 300x153 Harris Teeter Triple Coupons April 24 30, 2013Harris Teeter Triple coupons are back April 24-30, 2013!

Here is a video showing how I shop the Harris Teeter Triple Coupons event:

Here is the latest Harris Teeter triple coupon event! I’ll do my best to pull together some deals & freebies for you this weekend, but if you want to head over in advance, remember the rules of Harris Teeter Triples:
*You must be a VIC member (sign up for free online or at customer service)
*You’re limited to 20 coupons PER DAY
*There is a limit of 3 coupons per item (hopefully that means there will be more left for all of us to share!)
*Coupons with up to a $.99 face value will be tripled
*Harris Teeter now accepts two coupons on BOGO items!!!

I hope to make it over there before the shelves get completely empties (yes, it happens), but if you get there before me, let me know if you find any great deals…and I’ll do likewise icon wink Harris Teeter Triple Coupons April 24 30, 2013

Teaching Kids Psalm 23 – Scripture Memorization

teaching kids memorize psalm 23 Teaching Kids Psalm 23   Scripture Memorization

In the scripture memorization videos below, I’m teaching my kids Psalm 23.

Psalm 23. It’s six verses and typically I recommend teaching your kids one verse a week, but you can teach this to your kids in a month if you work on it at different times throughout your day. There is no tune to this, and feel free to make it your own as you see fit. Be sure to explain to younger children what the words mean that they may not understand so they can begin to form their own word pictures in their heads.

(Forgive my appearance in this week’s video, I just got over having pink-eye last week, so no makeup for me!)

Here are my kids reciting Psalm 23. First Kariss (age 4):

and Britton (age 3) in a slightly more humorous version:

Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)

IMG 9032 300x300 Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)
If you’re looking to eat healthy while spending less and maximizing the food you buy, then you’re in the right place!

Even if you’ve let your New Year’s Resolutions come and go, I have some simple, practical tips to help keep you eating healthy on a budget in the New Year.

In case you missed any of the tips from my Fox 17 TN Mornings segment, here they are:

 Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video) Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)
*Find ways to make your food last longer
First of all, make sure you wash and prep as much of your food as you can as soon as you get home from the grocery store…after all, the easier it is to grab, the easier it is to eat! Plus, why spend the time cutting coupons and shopping sales if you’re just going to throw half of it away because you forget about it once you get home? That being the case, you may also want to consider investing in something like a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video) to fully take advantage of all those One Day meat sales we find at Whole Foods. Coming in under $75, you’ll most likely make that back in food savings within a few months.

 Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)*Make your meals ahead of time Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)
If you plan your meals in advance (& have them ready in the fridge or freezer), or pack your lunch the night before, you’ll set yourself up for success and reduce the possibilities of food going bad. But don’t just pack your lunch, bring it in containers that keep food fresh AND make it fun to eat healthy:

IMG 9778 225x300 Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)Ever since we got the Black+Blum Box Appetit  Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video), my 8 year old daughter has brought a salad to school for lunch every day.

 Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video) Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)
*Switch to a filtered water bottle instead of individually bought plastic bottles.
Not only will you get a better quality of water wherever you travel, you’ll also save a ton of money since bottles like this Eau Good water bottle Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video) have a charcoal filter that only need to be changed every 6 months!

 Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video) Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)
*Start Juicing
Juicing is one of the hottest trends for health enthusiasts and with products like this Black & Decker Fruit and Vegetable Juice Extractor with Custom Juice Cup Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video) coming in under $40, you can easily try this trend without breaking the bank. Plus, your family will be much more likely to try a wider variety of fruits and vegetables in juice form rather than whole form. Also a great, quick way to use up fruits and veggies that are starting to turn.

 Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)

 Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)
*If you want to go a step further, look into a Nutri Bullet
I don’t know how I’ve made it this long without a Nutri Bullet Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video), but now that I have one, I’m not letting it go!

IMG 8710 300x225 Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)

I love that it’s high power blades literally pulverize whatever gets put into it, so you don’t lose ANY nutrients. It also makes fabulous nut butters and I’m sure a thousand other recipes I haven’t even gotten around to trying yet icon smile Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)

 

 Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video) Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)
*Cook it up & Freeze it in ‘ready-to-eat’ portions
When in doubt, throw whatever you have left in your fridge and freezer into a ‘kitchen sink’ soup in your stockpot Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)! We’re talking chicken, veggies beans…you name it. Once it’s made, freeze into individual portions to have easy meals on hand for future enjoyment.

If you missed my Fox 17 TN Mornings segment, watch it right here:

What savings questions do you want me to answer on my next Fox 17 TN Mornings segment?

I’ve shared products I love in this post and some have compensated affiliate links, but it saves you the step of having to ask me, “Now where do I find those cool containers?” icon wink Eat Healthy, Spend Less, Maximize Your Food! (Fox TV/Video)

Free Gaylord Opryland Christmas Lights Ceremony November 15, 2012

Gaylord Opryland lights Free Gaylord Opryland Christmas Lights Ceremony November 15, 2012The time has come!  Gaylord Opryland hotel in Nashville will flip the switch on their millions of Christmas lights on Thursday, November 15, 2012. The free lighting ceremony will begin at 5:15 pm and the public is welcome.

The lighting ceremony marks the beginning of their 29th annual Country Christmas celebration that will run through January 1, 2013.

Watch the video of this year’s Opryland Christmas Lighting Ceremony:

A Country Christmas has been hailed as one of the “Ten Great Places to Catch up with Santa” by USA Today; “The Most Christmassy Hotel in the Nation” by the Travel Channel’s Extreme Christmas; one of the top 10 places to spend Christmas in the world by Travel + Leisure; and a “Nashville treasure” by Southern Living.

All weekend, I’ll be sharing our family’s first-hand experience at Gaylord Opryland’s “A Country Christmas” (one of our family’s favorite holiday traditions since moving to Nashville!). You’ll get to see ALL that Gaylord Opryland has to offer for Christmas this year, including the new Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes, ICE! featuring DreamWorks’ “Shrek the Halls” and the all new Lorrie Morgan’s Enchanted Christmas dinner and show.

DSC04748 300x225 Free Gaylord Opryland Christmas Lights Ceremony November 15, 2012

Are you busy?

Are you busy?

I’ve been told by a lot of people lately (including my husband) that I’m just too busy.

Usually I shrug stuff like this off. It’s how I’ve always been. I don’t know any other way. I don’t sit still well.

But after enough people that I care deeply about have said something, I’m beginning to wonder if my ‘normal’ is actually severely abnormal.

I’m an only child, a classic over-achiever, with an entrepreneurial mindset who’s always coming up with the next undiscovered idea. Our family has always loved adventure and being on the go. I thrive on taking risks and trying new things.

But with our recent move in May and my father-in-law’s brain tumor diagnosis in June, our summer was anything but ordinary.

Now that we have a house of our own, my husband is craving to be in it for more than a few hours at a time (and he actually wants us all to be in it at the same time together! Crazy, right? icon wink Are you busy?

So I’m asking you: Do you think I’m too busy?

Or maybe you should ask yourself, Are you too busy?

How do we define busy? And how do we get out of the cycle once we’re in it?

More importantly for me, how do you continue pursuing your passions and not lose sight of your family’s goals & dreams while still taking time to be still?

Those are questions I don’t have answered, but would love to hear your thoughts!

Call Me Maybe Swim Team & Hotel Transylvania Parody Videos!

 Call Me Maybe Swim Team & Hotel Transylvania Parody Videos!
Have you see the “Call Me Maybe” parody videos on You Tube yet? If you missed the USA Olympic Swim Team version, than obviously you haven’t been paying that close of attention to the Summer Games in London icon wink Call Me Maybe Swim Team & Hotel Transylvania Parody Videos!

Obviously, these athletes have talents far beyond the pool:

I love that not only are these athletes extremely dedicated to their craft, but obviously know how to have fun and bond in other ways as a team besides just winning gold medals.

One “Call Me Maybe” video parody you perhaps haven’t seen yet is from the upcoming movie, “Hotel Transylvania”. I really don’t know much about it (other than there’s a funny bit in the commercial that cracks me up every time), and I haven’t decided if I’m going to let the kids see it or not yet, but since I was showing parody videos from YouTube, I couldn’t help but include this one too (if for nothing else, than for the bit with bacon about halfway through icon wink Call Me Maybe Swim Team & Hotel Transylvania Parody Videos!

Since we’re talking YouTube videos playing homage to popular songs, indulge me if you will. I still love this one I captured in our mini-van a couple years ago of my kids singing “Little White Church” by Little Big Town:

Do you have a favorite YouTube video going around?

Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012

20120619 144945 Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012

Watch my Talk of the Town video from the June 19, 2012 show: Healthy & Affordable Kids’ Lunches:

Today on Talk of the Town I talked about how kids’ lunches can be healthy and still be easy on your budget!
It’s summertime, so why not get more creative with lunches that will be healthy and affordable for both you AND your kids?

Keep in mind – presentation and familiarity is key with kids! So if you’re going to try something new with kids, make sure you serve it on a colorful plate, creative container or put it next to something they already like. In case you missed any of my tips, here they are:

Tip #1: Instead of buying pre-packaged lunches that can be very expensive, buy larger or bulk portions of cheese, lunchmeat and crackers, then portion them out yourself each day. You’ll save up to 75% with this method.

Tip #2: Deconstruct more complicated meals. For instance my 6 year old would never eat a chopped salad, but he will eat chopped turkey, cheese cubes, edamame, cucumber strips and sunflower seeds when they’re each on their own. Which leads me to tip #3…
 Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012 Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012
Tip #3: Invest in a Bento Box or another creative container: a Bento Box is a traditional Japanese serving vessel that has been around for YEARS, but now you can find many American versions for kids. Essentially, a Bento Box contains many little, individual compartments where you can separate your food, like mentioned in tips 1 & 2. It keeps eating more interesting while also helping to control portion size.
 Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012 Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012

Tip #4: Eat with the rainbow. Try to steer clear of monotone meals (mac & cheese with potatoes and peeled apples, for instance). Instead, try to incorporate at least 3 different colors into each meal. During the summer, this is even easier because their are so many fresh fruits and vegetables in season, which make them not only taste better, but is great for your budget too! There are portion plates to help you teach this to your kids too icon wink Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012
 Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012 Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012

For more ways to save, join me on June 20 for my first Savings Nation Grocery Coupon workshop!

kelloggs300aa Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012 Healthy & Affordable Kids Lunches: Talk of the Town Video June 2012

Harris Teeter Triple Coupons May 16-22, 2012

harris teeter banner 300x153 Harris Teeter Triple Coupons May 16 22, 2012Harris Teeter Triple coupons are back May 16-22, 2012!

banner20120522TC Harris Teeter Triple Coupons May 16 22, 2012

Here is a video showing how I shop the Harris Teeter Triple Coupons event:

I can’t believe the latest Harris Teeter triple coupon event is the same week we’re moving! I’ll do my best to pull together some deals & freebies for you this weekend, but if you want to head over in advance,  remember the rules of Harris Teeter Triples:
*You must be a VIC member (sign up for free online or at customer service)
*You’re limited to 20 coupons PER DAY
*There is a limit of 3 coupons per item (hopefully that means there will be more left for all of us to share!)
*Coupons with up to a $.99 face value will be tripled
*Harris Teeter now accepts two coupons on BOGO items!!!

I hope to make it over there before the shelves get completely empties (yes, it happens), but if you get there before me, let me know if you find any great deals…and I’ll do likewise icon wink Harris Teeter Triple Coupons May 16 22, 2012

This is why I cried today: Home Ownership Day 10

This is why I cried today:

I know it’s day 10 and the last video I did was on day 4, but I haven’t been to the house in a few days. There’s still so much work to do packing & cleaning in our current house, not to mention my regular workload!

Just in case any of you thought I had this whole game of life figured out icon wink This is why I cried today: Home Ownership Day 10

It’s been a wonderful, yet overwhelming process, to be completely honest. I have to keep reminding myself to live in the moment and to reflect on the fact that we’re healthy, our children are with us and we have each other. If God has brought us this far, he can certainly catapult me past my fatigue & stress!

Have you ever had one of those ‘pull the car off the side of the road to cry’ days?

Frugal Spring Cleaning: Talk of the Town Video April 2012

20120424 214246 Frugal Spring Cleaning: Talk of the Town Video April 2012

Watch the Talk of the Town video from today’s show: Frugal Spring Cleaning Tips.


Today on Talk of the Town I shared how to save time and money on spring cleaning by sharing some frugal spring cleaning tips:

Find all in one/multi-purpose cleaners to cut down on products around your house

Keep all products in one basket to take with you from room to room

Make homemade cleaners with natural products like Borax, baking soda, vinegar (can find spray bottles at the dollar store)

Set a timer when you clean and come up with a schedule that works best for you (one task a day, same room each day each week, or one zone each week like on FlyLady.net)

Keep a basket with you when you clean to pick up things that don’t belong in that room. then save an extra 15 minutes at the end of your cleaning time to return those items to their proper home.

Use old socks for dusting and old t-shirts as cleaning rags

Use lint brush on chairs and lamp shades (especially good for pet hair)

Sign up for favorite products’ newsletters via email and like them on Facebook to find great savings & coupons

For more ways to save, join me next month on May 17 for my first Savings Nation Grocery Coupon workshop!

kelloggs300aa Frugal Spring Cleaning: Talk of the Town Video April 2012 Frugal Spring Cleaning: Talk of the Town Video April 2012