T.Wolf | Moms Living Thrifty

Halloween Canvas Sale

October 19, 2012 By T.Wolf Leave a Comment

It is that time of year again, Halloween! This holiday offers something that no other holiday does, the chance to dress up and pretend you are someone or something else for the night. There is nothing more fun than dressing up and capturing your great costumes on film. For a great way to treasure your favorite Halloween photo, consider this great deal below.

Click on the picture above to be taken to a great deal on a 16 x 20 canvas. Imagine being able to hang your favorite Halloween photo on your wall! For just $20 you will be able to have a professional canvas of your picture created. There are great deals on other sized canvases as well. Make sure to act fast as this deal ends on October 31st.

This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. In most cases, products are provided to Moms Living Thrifty for review. All product reviews are written according to the writer's honest opinion, experience or beliefs. Your opinion may vary. To see more on our disclosure policy, please visit our Disclosure page

Join Sam’s Club and Save

October 18, 2012 By T.Wolf Leave a Comment

If you are not yet a member of Sam’s Club you should be! Sam’s Club offers a great way to save money on bulk items. I pack my kid’s lunches for school and buy things such as pudding snacks, fruit cups, and yogurt in bulk at Sam’s Club to save money. They also have great deals on fresh produce. Join Sam’s Club and Start Saving today!

Anyone that is raising a family knows that buying in bulk can make life a lot easier. Sam’s Club is one of the best places to get things that you use a lot of, such as toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning items at a discounted price. Click on the link above to join Sam’s Club and start saving on every day items today!

Filed Under: Deals and Steals, Rewards Programs Tagged With: deals, membership, rewards program, sales

Make it Monday: Halloween Crafts for Kids

October 8, 2012 By T.Wolf Leave a Comment

Halloween is one of the best holidays in a child’s eye, so why not make a few fun crafts with your kids to decorate for the day. Here are a few of my favorite Halloween crafts to make with my kids.

Footprint Ghosts

What you need:

• Black construction paper
• White paint (glow in the dark paint might look cool as well)
• Scissors
• Black Marker
• Feet

To Make:
This project is so simple and fun. All you have to do is paint your child’s feet with white paint and have them step onto the black paper. Cut the foot prints out and draw eyes and a mouth on the heel of the foot. The toes are the bottom of the ghost. I like to punch a hole in the top and hang these around the house during Halloween. You could even hang them outside in one of your trees, this would look really cool if you use glow in the dark paint.

5 Little Pumpkins

One of my favorite Halloween poems is the 5 Little Pumpkins. For those that are unfamiliar with it you can find a copy here. Along with this poem there are several great crafts to make. Here is a simple one where you make the 5 pumpkins that are sitting on the gate.

What you need:

• Black construction paper
• Popsicle sticks
• Orange construction paper cut into pumpkins of different sizes. The pumpkins must be small enough to sit on the “gate” that is made from the Popsicle sticks.
• Crayons or markers
• glue
• Glitter paint (optional)

To Make:

Have your children decorate the pumpkins shapes by drawing faces on them. Next, glue the Popsicle sticks onto the black construction paper. You will want to have at least 5 posts for the pumpkins to sit on. Next, glue the pumpkins on top of each post. I like to use glitter paint for the top of the page to give the scene a starry night look. You might also use green yarn at the bottom to look like vines. Another option is to buy the Halloween bucket of foam stickers and use those for the pumpkins and the rest for decorations of the page.

Skeletons

This is another fun and easy craft to do with your kids. I still have my oldest son’s from when he made his first version at the age of 2 in preschool. We know do it every year and it is fun to see how his face has changed.

Here is what you need:

• Black construction paper
• Glue
• Q-tips
• Picture of your child’s face, just the face

What to do:

Have your child glue the Q-tips onto the black construction paper in the shape of a skeleton. You may need to break some Q-tips in order to make all of the bones. You then glue the picture of the child’s face onto the body of the skeleton. Simple, cute, and easy and something you can do every year as a Halloween tradition.

Filed Under: Cheap Family Activities, Family Fun, Holidays Tagged With: Halloween, halloween crafts, halloween crafts for kids

Fabulous Friday: Five Fast and Fabulous Dinner Ideas

September 28, 2012 By T.Wolf Leave a Comment

Let’s face it, today’s world simply runs to fast. There are days when I don’t even know where the time goes and the next thing I know I am trying to throw a dinner together in the midst of homework and extracurricular activities. Fast dinners are a necessity on many weekday nights. Here are five quick and easy meals.

Shrimp Stew with Beans

Quick and nutritious, this great meal only takes 15 minutes to throw together.

What you need:

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• 2 cups of water
• Pinch red pepper
• Dash thyme
• 1 can butter beans (15 oz)
• 1 can cannellini beans (15 oz)
• 1 pound raw shrimp
• A tbsp. of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil and garlic in a large sauce pan. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the water, tomato sauce, pepper, thyme and drained beans. Simmer for about five minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for about three or four more minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with warm bread.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

This is one of the fastest and easiest chicken parmesan recipes you will find.

What you need:
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• Red pepper flakes
• 6 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
• 2 ½ cups marinara sauce
• 2 cups mozzarella
• ¼ cup basil
• 4 oz parmesan
• 1 bag garlic croutons

Directions:

In the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish spread the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Put the chicken breasts on top of this mixture. Cover evenly with the tomato sauce and basil. Place half of the mozzarella cheese and half the parmesan over the tomato sauce. Top with the bag of croutons and then put the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until the top is browned and the chicken is cooked through.

Shrimp Kabobs and Mixed Salad

With five ingredients and about 20 minutes, this is a great meal for any night of the week.

What you need:
• 1 pound uncooked shrimp
• 2 peppers cut into chunks
• Package button mushooms
• ½ cup Italian dressing
• 10 oz package mixed salad

Directions:

Use metal or wooden kabobs and thread the chunks of peppers, shrimp, and whole mushrooms. There should be a bit of space between each piece. Brush the kabobs with about a fourth of a cup of the Italian salad dressing, saving the rest for the salad. Place the kabobs on the grill for about four to six minutes, turning once. You can also broil the kabobs if the weather is not ideal for grilling. Toss the mixed salad with the dressing. I like to plate the salad with the kabobs de-threaded on top.

Creamy Chicken with Asparagus

This quick meal is a favorite as my household loves asparagus.

What you need:
• Fresh or frozen asparagus
• Jar of alfredo sauce
• Fettuccine
• Shredded swiss cheese (can substitute any cheese)
• Frozen cooked and diced chicken

Directions:

Cook the chicken in a bit of oil until almost cooked through. Steam the asparagus and add to chicken. Add the Alfredo sauce and cheese. Simmer until the chicken is fully cooked. Serve over fettuccine.

Swedish Meatballs

This is a quick and easy dinner that everyone will love.

What you need:
• Frozen cooked meatballs
• Large bag of frozen mixed vegetables
• One jar brown gravy
• Sour cream
• Nutmeg

Directions:

Heat the meatballs and vegetables with the gravy in a large saucepan until heated through. Add the sour cream and a little bit of nutmeg. This is perfect served over mashed potatoes.

Filed Under: Delectable Dinner Recipes, From the Kitchen Tagged With: easy dinners, easy to make dinners, fast dinners

Thrifty Thursday: Halloween Costumes That Are Practically Free

September 27, 2012 By T.Wolf Leave a Comment

Halloween is just around the corner and I don’t know about you, but I cringe when I think about spending money on a costume that my kids will likely wear for one night. However, with a bit of creativity you can create some fun costumes that will cost practically nothing. Here are a few clever ideas.

Oreo Cookie

This is a fun, cute idea that can be made for next to nothing.

What you need:

• White clothing
• Cardboard
• Spray paint
• Cotton balls
• String

To make the “cookie” you will cut two large circles out of cardboard and spray paint them black. Once they have dried take the cotton balls and spell out the word Oreo. You could also use white paint to do this. Cut holes in the top and tie strings that will go over the shoulders. You will want to wear white clothing underneath so you are the cream filling of the cookie.

Skeleton

What says Halloween more than a skeleton? Here is a great way to make a skeleton costume.

What you need:
• Black jeans
• Black shirt
• White reflective tape

This costume is simple as all you need to do is place the reflective tape on the black clothing so it looks like bones. If you want you can paint the child’s face white with dark shades around the eyes and mouth. The best part about this costume is the reflective tape makes your children easy to see in the dark.

Leaf Bag

This is a very simple and fun idea and all you need is a garbage bag or one of the large pumpkin leaf bags and anything that you have around the house such as sponges, towels, etc. to make it appear full. Cut out some leg and arm holes and tape some leaves around the top. You have a human leaf bag instantly!

Dalmation

Find a white sweat suit and paint some black spots on it. Make some floppy ears out of construction paper and attach to a head band. A piece of rope can be used for the tail and you have an instant Dalmatian.
You could also use a white sweat suit to make a zebra costume simply by painting some black stripes on it. Yellow sweat suit with brown spots and you are a giraffe. There are many different animal costumes that can be made for a low cost simply by purchasing a sweat suit in the right color or painting one that you have to look like the animal.

Halloween can be a fun holiday and it does not have to break the bank. Take a look around your house and you are sure to come up with some great ideas for some cheap and fun costumes for the whole family.

Filed Under: Cheap Family Activities, Family Fun, Holidays Tagged With: cheap halloween costumes, Halloween, Halloween costumes

Wacky Wednesday: Five Wacky Places to See Before You Die

September 26, 2012 By T.Wolf 1 Comment

Most of us have a place in mind if we were given a chance to go anywhere in the world. You may live for tropical islands and want to visit Hawaii or Jamaica. Perhaps you love architecture and want to tour historical places throughout Europe. The list goes on and there are many places that you want to see before you die, such as the Grand Canyon and the Great Wall of China. Here is a list of some other places that you might want to add to your list.

1. Salar De Yuyni, Bolivia

Salar De Yuyni is located in Bolivia and is the largest salt flat in the world at 10,582 sq. kilometers. It is located near the crest of the Andes Mountains in the southwest part of the country. The elevation of the salt flat is 3,656 meters above sea level. The flat was forms as a result of several prehistoric lakes being transformed.

2. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman II during the early part of the 12th century. It is a temple complex and was dedicated to the god Vishnu. It was then used as a Buddhist temple. The temple appears on the flag of Cambodia and is one wonder that you should see before you die.

3. 12 Apostles, Australia

Located on the coastline of Victoria, Australia, the rugged 12 apostles rise up from the depths of the ocean. The towers of rock were created by erosion of limestone cliffs that started roughly 10 to 20 million years ago.

4. Bryce Canyon, United States located in Utah

While the Grand Canyon is on most people’s lists of must see places another stop should be made at Bryce Canyon located in Utah. This National Park contains some of the most unlikely rock formations on earth.

5. Seychilles

For those that are looking for that perfect island getaway, Seychilles offers 115 scattered islands located in the Indian Ocean. The beaches offer luxurious white sand and topaz water all backed by big glacis boulders and lush hills.

Filed Under: Family Fun, Family Vacations Tagged With: exotic locations, places to visit, travel

Tuesday’s Tip: Getting Tough Stains Out of Clothing

September 25, 2012 By T.Wolf Leave a Comment

If you have kids or are just prone to spilling things like I am you have dealt with tough stains on your clothing. The good news is that
For all Clothes

The most important thing to remember about stains is that the earlier that you catch it the better. There are some great products such as shout wipes that you can carry in your purse to blot stains with as soon as they happen. If you do not happen to have a Tide pen or Shout wipe on you, take an ice cube from your drink and wet the spot.
When you wash a clothing item that has a stain make sure that you check the wet laundry to make sure that the stain is gone before throwing it in the dryer. Throwing it in the dryer will set the stain and often make it permanent. If the stain is still visible after washing, pretreat it and wash it again.

Dairy Stains

Ah, the dreaded dripping ice cream cone. If you are dealing with any type of dairy stain soak the item in agitated cold water if it is fresh. If the stain has dried use a brush to get all of the crusted matter off. Soak for several hours in cold water with a detergent. Wash the item in warm water.

Fruit Stains

If your clothing has been stained with fruit juice of any kind you will want to wash the item in the hottest water possible. Do not use soap as this could make the stain become permanent. Tough juice stains can be soaked in an quart of warm water with an enzyme presoak product.

Grass and Mud Stains

If you have boys like I do, these are the stains that you are going to be dealing with the most often. For grass stains you will want to soak the item in cool water with a pretreatment solution. Do not use hot water as it will make the stain harder to remove.

If your kids come in all muddy, let the mud dry and flake off as much as you can. You will then soak the item in a quart of warm water mixed with a teaspoon of liquid dish soap and a tablespoon of white vinegar for fifteen minutes. Rinse the item with water and let it stand for a few minutes. If the stain remains sponge it with rubbing alcohol.

Red Stains

The dreaded ketchup or tomato sauce stains can be dealt with by mixing a half of a teaspoon of liquid dish soap and a tablespoon of vinegar in a quart of cool water. Soak the clothing for 30 minutes. If the stain remains you can use a pretreatment stain remover product or liquid laundry detergent rubbed into the stain. Wash the item in warm water and let air dry. If the stain is still there you will want to soak the clothing in an enzyme product for an hour or more.

Filed Under: Keeping It Clean Tagged With: removing stains, stain removal, stains

Make it Monday: Fun Fall Crafts for Kids

September 24, 2012 By T.Wolf 1 Comment

Here are a few fun fall crafts to make with your kids during the cooler days of fall.

Apple Print Paintings

If you kids are anything like mine they love to paint. This craft is quite simple as all you will need is some paint (tempera works best), some apples, and some paper.
Instead of using paint brushes to paint with, let your children use apples as their brushes. Place different colors of paint on paper plates or some type of flat container that a sliced apple will fit in to. Slice the apples in quarters, halves, and different shapes if you want to be really creative. I have used an apple slicer that cuts the core out of the middle of the apple and this becomes a great roller for painting. The great thing about this project is that it is simple and allows your kids to explore a different way to make art.

Contact Paper Fall Collages

This is a fun activity that will leave you with beautiful works of art to hang in your windows. For this project you will need:
• Nature items such as leaves, small twigs, grass, acorns, etc.
• Contact paper
• Tape
• Scissors

Tape a piece of contact paper with the sticky side up to the table. Let your kids stick whatever nature items that they want on to the paper. When your kids are finished, simply put a second piece of contact paper over the top. You can make these collages as big or as small as you want them. You can even cut the paper into different shapes. I like to punch a hole in the top of the collage and tie a string to it and then hang them in the windows. You can simply tape them to your windows as well. The sun shining through looks fabulous.

Nutty Boats

I have two boys who love water. This activity is perfect for them as it involves making boats out of walnut shells. For this project you will need:
• Small twigs
• Clay
• Walnut shells
• Leaves
• Thread
The trickiest part about this project is that you need an intact half of a walnut shell to create the boat. To open up the walnut without breaking the shell insert a flat head screwdriver into the end at the seam and follow the seam around slowly prying the shell apart.
For the mast and sail take a needle and thread and tie a leaf to the small twig. Place a small piece of clay inside the walnut shell and place the twig inside it. Get out a bowl of water and let your kids race their new boats.

Filed Under: Family Fun, Fun at Home Tagged With: crafts for kids, fall crafts, fall crafts for kids

Vegetarian Dinners that Kids Will Love

September 3, 2012 By T.Wolf 3 Comments

Choosing to cut meat out of your diet is a big decision and can be a bit difficult, especially if you have children. Trying to find vegetarian dinners that the whole family will eat can be hard. I grew up in a family where dinner consisted of meat and a couple of vegetables. However, having recently decided to cut meat totally out of my diet I have found several meals that even my kids will eat. Here are a few vegetarian dinners that your kids are sure to enjoy.

Veggie Burritos

Veggie burritos are cheap and easy to make and are something the whole family can enjoy. This meal is on our menu at least twice a month. Here is the simple recipe that I use, but it can be altered in any way to make it your own.

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can sweet corn
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 jar of salsa
• 1 package of 10 soft taco shells
• 2 cups cheese

Directions:

Heat the beans and corn together in a saucepan until warm. Add the taco seasoning and mix well, use as much or as little seasoning as you want. Once heated through spoon the mixture into a taco shell and cover with cheese. Roll into a burrito and place in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Repeat with all of the shells. Spoon the salsa over the top of the burritos and bake at 350 degrees until heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings such as guacamole or sour cream. We typically have a small salad along with this meal.

Black Bean Pizza Burger

What kid doesn’t like pizza? Combine those flavors with a great tasting black bean burger and you have the perfect vegetarian dinner for your family. This recipe can be altered to suit your tastes.

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• ½ onion chopped
• ½ green pepper chopped
• 2 cloves crushed or minced garlic
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ cup bread crumbs, oatmeal will work as well
• Worcestershire sauce
• Hamburger buns
• Provolone cheese (mozzarella or another cheese will work as well)
• Pasta sauce

Directions:

Put the black beans in a bowl and mash them using a potato masher or fork. In a food processor place the onion, pepper, and garlic and pulse. Make sure that you do not over do it as you will end up with a soupy mess. Mix the onion mixture in with the black beans.

In a separate bowl mix the eggs with the bread crumbs and Worcestershire sauce. You can add any seasonings that you wish. Add this to the black bean mixture and mix well. Divide the mix into four separate patties.

These patties can be baked in the oven or grilled. I have found the best way to prepare them is in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil. Fry them for just a couple of minutes on each side. Once cooked through place on the bun and top with the heated pasta sauce and cheese.

I love to serve this burger with sweet potato fries.

Filed Under: From the Kitchen, Kid Friendly Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tagged With: budget meals, kid friendly meals, vegetarian meals

Fun Family Activities for Fall

September 2, 2012 By T.Wolf 2 Comments

Fall is just around the corner and with it comes cooler weather and gorgeous scenery. This is the perfect time to take your family outdoors to enjoy the wonderful season that is fall. Here are a few fun family activities that you may enjoy.

Leaf Rubbings

Go outside and gather some leaves and bring them inside to make rubbings. All you need is some paper and crayons and you can create unique collages from the wonderful patterns of the leaves. You can also glue the leaves to heavy paper or cardboard and make a beautiful fall collage.

Hiking

This is the perfect time to visit a state or national park in your area. Take a picnic and go for a walk on one of the trails. Enjoy the wonderful colors of the trees and the beautiful weather. You can take a book about different types of trees and try to point out the different types of trees throughout the area. Take a basket along and let your child gather rocks, leaves, twigs, and other pieces of nature. You can use these items to make a wonderful collage or other work of art.

Fall Festivals

Fall is the time of harvest and this typically is a wonderful time of year to go to the fall festivals that are taking place throughout the area. Festivals are a fun way to see another part of your state. There are many activities at these festivals that are usually reasonably priced. Many offer free music and great food.

Waxed Leaves

One of the best ways to keep the colorful leaves of fall around for a long time is to dip them in wax. This project can be done with older children. For this project you will need:

• About ¼ pound of paraffin wax
• 2 clean cans, one needs to be smaller than the other. We used a 28 ounce can and a 13 and ½ ounce can.
• Newspaper
• Wax paper
• Leaves

Directions:

Place a piece of the wax in the smaller can and place the can inside the larger can. Add warm water to both of the cans, filling to about a half an inch below the smaller can. The wax will float to the top when it melts. Simmer the water on medium heat until the wax fully melts. Do not let the water come to a full boil. Remove the cans from the stove and place them on a piece of newspaper. Hold the leaves by the stem and dip them into the wax. Lay them on the wax paper to harden. These leaves can then be used to decorate a table for fall or to create a wonderful centerpiece or other art project.

Fall is a wonderful time to simply get outside and enjoy the weather and the beautiful colors. It will not be long and winter will be upon us and enjoying the outdoors will be limited to short amounts of time.

Filed Under: Cheap Family Activities, Family Fun, Fun at Home Tagged With: fall, fall activities, fall festivals, family activities, fun family activities, fun things to do in fall, fun things to do with kids, kids activities

Halloween Canvas Sale

Join Sam’s Club and Save

Make it Monday: Halloween Crafts for Kids

Fabulous Friday: Five Fast and Fabulous Dinner Ideas

Thrifty Thursday: Halloween Costumes That Are Practically Free

Wacky Wednesday: Five Wacky Places to See Before You Die

Tuesday’s Tip: Getting Tough Stains Out of Clothing

Make it Monday: Fun Fall Crafts for Kids

Vegetarian Dinners that Kids Will Love

Fun Family Activities for Fall

Search

Looking for Exposure for Your Business?

Wanna Get Lucky??? Enter Our Giveaways!

Find Us on Facebook

Want the Latest and Greatest?

Enter My Giveaways On…

Grab My Button

I’m a Proud Member Of…

Don’t Miss These Hot Deals!!!

Latest Tweets

Visit My Blog Buddies

Previous Articles