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Amazon Special Registries

Holding Hands On Our Wedding Day

Holding Hands On Our Wedding Day

Did you know that you can create online registries at Amazon.com for your special occasions, just like you could at a brick & mortar store? It’s very convenient for you and your friends, and offers a huge selection of items to choose from! There are also some great savings attached, which is probably the biggest attraction for a penny pinching mommy like me.

With your Shop Amazon – Create an Amazon Wedding Registry, there are a few cool perks, such as a universal registry allowing you to add selections from sites other than Amazon and a 10% off gift after your wedding date for savings up to $100!!! You can register from anywhere you are, and your friends can easily shop via a site most of us are already familiar with. Win win!

With your Shop Amazon – Create an Amazon Baby Registry, you are eligible for a 10% discount (15% if you are an Amazon Mom member) 30 days prior to your child’s due date (not available for 14 days after your application), 90 day return policy on Baby Store purchases, and can add to your wish list from sites all over the web. It is pretty neato!

Have you ever done an online registry? Do you plan to? I just did an in store registry for my wedding, and not much of one. I did some online for my babies, but didn’t know about this program with either of them. You can betcha I will next time around, though! This is a great deal! 🙂

“Penny Pinching Peach is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com”


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This and That Infused Water

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Have you tried making your own infused waters?

I’ve seen all sorts of blurbs online about this wonderful fad of making infused waters at home. Now, generally I’m not one to jump on the myriad bandwagons of fads, but in this case it seemed harmless. Since I need to drink a lot of water, love fruit, and always have mason jars floating around the house, I decided to give this particular trend a try. I have sampled a variety of different flavors, so I’ll tell y’all about it. Prepare yourself! 😉

Blueberry Lemon Infused Water

Blueberry Lemon Infused Water

*Penny Pinching Peach is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

My first taste test was blueberry lemon infused water.

It was quite pretty, and made a truly refreshing beverage. I just sliced up a lemon, threw in a heaping handful of blueberries, filled my quart jar (better yet, try a Aladdin Original Insulated Mason Tumbler 20oz, Aqua ) with water, shook it up and stuck the whole concoction into the fridge overnight. When I tried it in the morning, it was a big thumbs up. I was able to refill using the same fruit four times over the course of two days. The fourth time the flavor was starting to fade, so I just ate the blueberries and called it good. 🙂

Key Lime Infused Water

Key Lime Infused Water

My next flavor fling was key lime infused water.

I quartered two key limes, squeezed them into the jar, and filled it up with water. I also added two tablespoons of sugar melted into some hot water, because I figured it would be way too tart and kinda icky on it’s own. I think I was right, but it would’ve been smarter healthwise if I had just used a tablespoon of honey or something. 🙂 It didn’t make it sweet at all, just cut the sour a bit. This one only worked for two refills, but may’ve worked for more and a stronger flavor with a large lime or more key limes. I liked the blueberry lemon better, but this still had a nice little zest.

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Mango Infused Water
Mango Infused Water

My third fruity concoction to check out was mango infused water.

I sliced up half of a mango into my jar, filled it with water and shook it, letting is sit overnight. It had a pleasant mellow mango flavor to it that lasted through a couple of refills. Try it!

Blackberry Infused Water

Blackberry Infused Water

My fourth taste test to share was blackberry infused water!

I’d just picked a big jug full of blackberries and wanted to see how it was. It came in a close second to the blueberry lemon on the taste test and the water color was a beautiful purple.

By this point, my sweet husband had taken note of my new fun water trick and bought me a really pretty fruit infusing water bottle!

He got mine off the clearance rack at Walmart, as seen in the photo. I love it! It made it so simple, and I could take it anywhere and keep adding water as it got about half empty throughout the day for continuous lightly fruity refreshment. Infusing water with the mason jars was great, but using the nifty little Cool Gear Flavor Infuser 28oz BPA Free-red* with the insert and the top that snaps shut so my kids can’t dump it all over me took it to the next level, honey! 🙂 (The fact it was on clearance added to his thoughtful hubby points. LOL)

Cucumber Key Lime Infused Water

Cucumber Key Lime Infused Water

My final creative flavor combination to share is cucumber and key lime infused together!

I took a few thin slices of cucumbers and put them in the bottom half of my infuser insert in my Cool Gear Flavor Infuser 28oz BPA Free-red*, then quartered two key limes, squeezed them into the cup and threw the quarters into the infusion insert. Next morning, I had a drink best described as “fresh”. The flavor was surprisingly strong in a pleasant way. I’d thought of cucumber because I’d seen a few places that cucumber water could boost metabolism and aid in weight loss. Can’t hurt, huh? 😉

To sum it up, I’d definitely recommend doing your own infused waters if you like a little flavor in your beverages and are trying to drink more water!

Don’t expect it to be as strong of a fruity taste as juice, but it is very pleasant and certainly makes me reach for my water a little more frequently than always drinking it plain. Adding a bit of citrus like lemon or lime to whatever fruit definitely seemed to amp up the flavor of the “host fruit”, from my little experiments. Play with the flavors. It’s fun! I’m thinking of trying pineapple or peaches next.

What fruit would you try to infuse first? Need some healthy snack ideas to go with that refreshing water you’re going to be sipping? Head over to Super Yummy Don’t-Tell-Them-They’re-Healthy Snacks!


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Decorate Your Own Box Home

Peekaboo!!

Peekaboo!!

My children are like any other child I’ve known: fascinated by the worlds in their own imaginations. I am always looking to find things that keep their busy little hands and imaginations occupied without a lot of expense or mess. Something they’ve been having fun with lately is a huge box. I have given it to them as their own home within our home, to decorate as they please and have altered at whim.

They scribble on it at whim. I’ve put in window flaps and ceiling flaps and little eye shaped peepholes galore. They think it is awesome, and have spent hours and hours pretending it’s their castle, house, doctor’s office, art center, restaurant and who knows what all else. It’s their creative corner. I am thinking I should give them stickers to put on it, but I’ll have to supervise that one pretty well. 🙂

This is a simple, free activity that brings them endless fun. I’d encourage you to try it with your kiddos. 🙂

Decorate Your Own Box Home

Decorate Your Own Box Home


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Kids Eat Free

Kids Eat Free

Kids Eat Free

Ideally, we’d all have time to cook a balanced and delicious dinner every single night. Since we don’t live in an ideal world, and many of us just plain enjoy going out to eat at a restaurant with our family now and then, I’ve scoured the web for resources for finding those infamous kids eat free specials that make eating out with children so much more affordable. I’m sharing a few of my favorite links here.

Kids Eat Free This site lets you search for your state and city, giving you a list of restaurants who have any sort of free kids meals, including details about times and eligibility. Really great site!

Kids Eat 4 Free Super duper user friendly, this site allows you to either search by city & state or by zip code and distance. It also gives clear details about the when, where and how of all the bargains listed.

Kids Meal Deals Not only listing free kids meals, but also places with super special bargains, this site has a simple search engine where you type in your zip code, select a day of the week (or all days) and there you have your results. Click for details of each. 🙂

Out to Eat With Kids This site has a similar search system to Kids Eat 4 Free, but each of these sites seem to have slightly different lists of restaurants where munchkins can eat free. It’s worth doing a quick search of each to see which you can take advantage of.

What restaurant do you wish had free kids meals? Which are you happy is participating? What is just plain your favorite restaurant to eat at with your kiddos?


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Super Yummy Don’t-Tell-Them-They’re-Healthy Snacks

Veggie snack

Veggie Snack

I decided to come up with healthier versions of premade snacks my kiddos can just open the fridge and get out when I’m in the middle of something.

My kiddos are always munching away, and often get hungry when I really don’t have time to make even a quick snack.  By the way, I actually do tell my kids when their food is healthy, because I want them to know they are eating well and still enjoy what they’re eating instead of thinking junk is better. It sounded cute, though. 😉

Here are a few of my ideas for quick and healthy snacks…

One idea I came up with for inexpensive premade snacks of the healthy variety is to chop up some veggies into little stick shapes, get some ranch dressing or other preferred veggie dip and put it all together in a two sided container. In this case, I used a KFC Go Cup, because it is about the right size and already divided into two sections for the two parts. I have a lot of cucumbers from the garden and carrots are cheap, so that was my choice for this particular cup. Some other suggestions would be celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, sugar pea, broccoli, cauliflower or baby carrots.

*Penny Pinching Peach is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Using the same KFC Go Cup, or a similar divided container, such as these awesome Easylunchboxes 3-Compartment Bento Lunch Box Containers “Classic” (Set Of 4). Bpa-Free. Easy-Open Lids (Not Leakproof)
, try slicing apples or green grapes and making a dip of peanut butter and honey.

The above suggestions have to be refrigerated if not being used immediately, but the ideas below are good for a snack drawer or shelf the kids can free range graze. 🙂

In small sandwich baggies, put in handfuls of homemade snack mix. One that I tried recently was Taco Seasoned Chex Mix. It could be adapted with your own seasonings you’d normally use in tacos, I was just trying it following their recipe to start. I like that it has very little sugar (a small amount in the cereals) and is fairly filling.

Another sandwich bag filler is GORP: Good Old Raisins and Peanuts. I mix two parts each of raisins and peanuts with one part M&Ms or chocolate chips, and it is soooooo yummy! I wouldn’t call it a health food, but it will fulfill your kiddos’ junk food cravings without allowing them to completely binge on sugar.

You can whip up a batch of my Yummy Oatmeal Banana Healthy Cookies and put a couple in each baggie for a great quick and healthy snackeroo that will satisfy even a hungry hubby. 🙂

This premade healthy thing can be applied to simply putting various fruits, veggies or nuts into serving sized containers for your kids to grab at will. Children tend to eat what is easily accessed, just like adults, and it is up to the grownups in their lives to provide them with solid choices.

What are some of your favorite homemade convenience snacks? Need more snack ideas? Check out After School Snacks!

 


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Freezing Peppers

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Freezing Your Own Cayenne Peppers!

I always I try to stretch a dollar while feeding my family with healthy foods is to keep a garden and put up what we won’t eat while fresh for later.

To be honest, I haven’t progressed to the point of having a humongous garden to provide limitless bounty to can for stocking a huge pantry of shelves I don’t yet have. I was raised doing it, but haven’t been able to do it myself yet as an adult on my own. This year I have a little semi raised bed measuring roughly 16′ by 3′, plus a few potted veggies. It won’t provide enough food to last us year round, but it does provide a large chunk of our produce for the spring and summer, plus a bit to put up for later.

*May contain affiliate links,  which help my little family without costing yours any extra.*

One of my favorite vegetables I put up last year was excess peppers.

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Since I don’t get enough of anything at once to make a big batch of anything, I tend to freeze things more than canning. I can always can most things later if I get enough of something frozen and want to make a sauce or jelly or some such delicacy out of them. I froze bell peppers and cayenne peppers to use in cooking.

Wanna know how to do it yourself? Here’s how I froze my peppers…

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Preserving Your Own Bell Peppers!

Wash and seed peppers, then slice and lay out on cookie sheets. Pop them in the freezer just like that. This step keeps them from clumping together in a big mess in your freezer bags. I left them in for about an hour, then got them out and tossed them into labeled freezer bags. I squeezed out all the air I could before sealing, then laid them flat to freeze. They should keep like this for at least several months. I still have a couple of bags left from last August, and they are fine & dandy.

Which veggies and fruits do you prefer to freeze to keep them fresh & yummy? Which would you like to try freezing, but haven’t yet? Go see how I made some great diy topsy turvy style tomato planters!


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Ramen Noodle Meals

Ingredients

Ingredients

If you are like me, you make an honest attempt at feeding your family healthy meals, but sometimes…you settle for kinda sorta healthy. One of my “I’m too busy to be truly healthy” meals is to make souped up Ramen noodles.

One beyond easy option? Merely fix a box of the teriyaki flavored noodles in the microwave while sauteeing some fresh spinach and mushrooms in a pan with a bit of butter. When the noodles are finished, just stir it all together and eat. I only use half of the seasoning, because the sodium content is through the roof and it tastes fine without it all.

Fancy Pants Ramen Noodles

Fancy Pants Ramen Noodles

Another way? Get the regular type of ramen you have to boil. The flavor doesn’t matter because you aren’t going to eat it. While the noodles are boiling, shred a carrot, slice a few mushrooms and toss some mushrooms into a pan with a little butter or olive oil. Saute until just tender, then push to the edges of the pan and scramble an egg or two in the middle. Add the noodles. For seasoning, I either saute some minced garlic with the veggies, sprinkle a generous ammount of parmesan with the finished product or spritz it with some soy sauce. Whichever way you choose, it’s yummy and even moderately healthy. 🙂

Yet another yummy Ramen twist? Make it into tuna casserole. Cook the noodles while you mix a dollop of mayo, dollop of sour cream, handful of cheddar cheese, diced celery, and sliced mushrooms (canned or fresh). Stir it all together in a small baking dish and top with either crushed Ritz crackers or cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F until warm through, usually about 20 minutes.

One last version for the day? Boil two packs of the noodles at the same time as microwaving a steam bag of broccoli florets. When they are both ready, throw together in a large pot with a can of cream of chicken soup, half a cup of sour cream, and about a cup of cheddar cheese until warmed through. Supper is served!

What are some of your favorite twists on Ramen noodles?

For some great recipes, please click the Chef’s hat!

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Swagbucks Savings!


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Egg Carton Flowers

Egg carton flowers

Egg carton flowers


I had a stack of egg cartons piling up, waiting on some inspiration, and my daughter brought them to me wanting to do a project. I came up with egg carton flowers. She was thrilled! Since my little princess enjoyed her new project, I thought I’d share it with other folks who might want something new to do to keep their munchkins happy. 🙂

We gathered together our supplies: An egg carton (of course! 🙂 ), then some scissors, markers, marker stampers and some stickers that aren’t pictured below.

Egg carton flower supplies

Egg carton flower supplies

First, I cut the top off of the egg carton, then cut between the cups. Next, I cut the cups into a smoother rounded shape around the top. Last, I went snippety snip around the cup to make the petals. The different stages of development in the picture should help fill in any confuzzlement left by my description. 🙂

From there, it was up to Princess Peachy to finish up. She smashed the petals flat with her little hand, then got to work decorating. She had a good ol’ time being creative with decorating them all sorts of different ways with the supplies we had on hand. When she was finished, we arranged them in a flower shape on a green piece of construction paper. You could glue them on, if you want, but my little one enjoyed rearranging them too much to let me glue them on.

What household item do you have overflowing, but don’t want to throw out because you think you can find some nifty way to upcycle it? Maybe I can come up with something. 🙂


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From Cheap to FREE: Kids’ Summer Movies 2014

Movie Star Munchkins

Movie Star Munchkins

During the summertime, I know alot of parents are looking for inexpensive activities to fill the days with fun. Alot of those activities are available in the great outdoors, but sometimes you might prefer a cooler way to beat the heat. There are alot of awesome programs for seeing great family movies with your munchkins this summer without going through lot of change! Here are a few summer movie deals I have found for the kiddos:

Carmike Cinemas have different promotions according to location. The one closest to me is offering a movie, drink and popcorn for just $4 total. You’ll have to look up your location for their times and promotions.

http://www.carmike.com/Events/Category/8

Regal Cinemas is not free, but they have $1 movies certain days during the summer at participating locations. Check the link for details, to see if your local Regal Cinema is participating, and what their specific schedule is.

http://www.regmovies.com/Movies/Summer-Movie-Express

This is not a theater in my state, but they do have absolutely free movies at certain times during the summer at Bowtie Cinemas. See link for details.

http://www.bowtiecinemas.com/programs/kids-club/

What movies would your little ones like to see this summer?

 


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Cheap Travel Tips

 

Cheap Travel Tips

Cheap travel Tips

With summer dawning, alot of folks are hitting the road for family vacation or visiting relatives. Since most of us are on a budget, I thought I’d share a few of the little things I do to save big when we travel.

“Penny Pinching Peach is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com”

We like our caffeine when we’re on road trips, so instead of stopping everywhere for drinks, I make a big jug of sweet tea (Lipton, of course!)ahead of time and put it in mason jars in the cooler. It’s extremely inexpensive, and easily poured from jar to travel cup. We also pack jars of milk and juice for the kiddos, as well as water if we’re going somewhere with questionable water quality.

Anyone who travels with kids knows that plenty of snacks are a must. I make things like cookies (Try my recipe for Healthy Oatmeal Cookies here. They travel well for a few days.) and snack mixes, plus take things like boxes of raisins, apples and bananas. I also pack some emergency treats like lollipops for when the little stinkers start howling about being stuck in the car. Since they are a treat to our kids, they work well at buying some peaceful time. We still sometimes stop for an icecream cone or some local delicacy as a treat, but we aren’t tempted to grab convenience treats for inflated prices at bathroom stops when we already have plenty of yummy goodies to munch on.

If you can, pack some sandwiches, canned goods, and breakfast items to eat for breakfasts and lunches while traveling. Also, gather up coupons for various restaurants you may stop at on your travels. Often, you can sign up for birthday clubs (see my post here: Happy Birthday Freebies) and get some really high value coupons for various restaurants just for signing up, even before your birthday comes around.

If you have pets, and know someone trustworthy nearby who also has pets, try to work out a pet sitting trade with them. You watch their pets while they travel, and they watch your pets while you travel. This way, neither of you has to actually spend any money on pet care. Just make sure to walk them through how to care for your furbabies, leave a list of the basic necessities of their care, and leave everything in plain sight that they will need to taking care of your critters.

Always look for the coupon books that are available in any tourist area, and search online for savings ahead of time at any attractions you intend to visit. You can rack up some serious savings on tickets and shopping this way.

I think most of us know to check the coupon books or make reservations online at discounted prices to save on hotels,and I’m really trying to focus on the more obscure little ways to save, but it must be mentioned. Also, if you are a government employee, in public safety or any career like that, inquire into what discounts are available to you. You may be surprised at how much of a savings some hotels will give you for those careers.

What are your favorite little tricks for saving big while traveling? Traveling with little ones, check out my post Traveling With Little Riders!