Prayer and Coupons

Hello my old friends!

2012-04-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

It has been just ages since i last wrote, and for that, i apologize.
There has been a lot happening at the Coupon household, I have since quite my job at Michael's and we found out a couple months ago that another little Couponer is making his or her way to our house come October! So since i am officially a SAHM again, i will be picking up on my blogging again

I cannot wait to share all of my deals and ideas with you again!

Hand-Made Christmas: Printed Candles

2011-09-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hello my lovelies!

I'm so sorry my posting has been so sporadic as of late, life is marching on and I'm running behind it, out of breath yelling "waaaiiitttt!!" After you finish giggling uncontrollably at that mental image, read on to learn how to create your very own stamped candles!

I based my candles off of the tutorial above(Hint: clicking the picture will bring you to the tute) But, as with everything, i just HAD to make mine a bit differently (lol).

So here's the DIY Printed Candles: The Coupon Way:

What you will need:

Candles (any size or color will work, just be sure to pick ink color and stamp size accordingly)
Pigment Ink pad (the original tute will tell you to use the washable,non-pigment ink for health reasons, but i chose to use the pigment ink. It is your choice)
Rubber or Acrylic Stamps

Pick out your candle color and size, your stamps and your inks

2. Lay stamp with rubber side up, and pat your ink pad onto the stamp until the whole stamp is covered in ink(you don't need a ton of ink, just enough to lightly cover the stamp)

3. With firm even pressure, carefully roll the candle across the inked stamp. Try to roll the candle in a even, straight line so that the image lines up on all sides.

4. Set your candles aside to cure for 24hrs.

5. Admire your handy work and give them to others to enjoy!

Price Break down:

Set of 6 votives : 2.49

Ink pad: 1.00

Stamps 2 @ .75 and one on hand : 1.50

Total: 4.99 ( that's .83 a candle)

*These could be made for cheaper or for free if you have all of these supplies on hand

Did you decide to give these a try? How did they come out? Share your handy work! Comment below or email me at Sararwenzel@aim.com!

Time

2011-09-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

This isn't one of my amazingly crafty,thrifty and purely awesome posts that i usually come out with. (i swear, im not that conceited,lol) This blog post would fall under the "general musings" category.

Before you have children, people tell you how fast they grow, how quickly time passes and you nod your head and smile politely, but you don't really know what they mean until you have children yourself.
Baby Coupon is almost 19 months now and it seems like just yesterday i found out i was pregnant with her. It is truly amazing how fast they grow. One minute, you have a cute,squishy little human sleeping peacefully in your arms and then in the next blink they are running around your house with your bra on their head yelling "i mama! I mama!" I am not one of "those" mom's who cry and carry on when their child grows into the next size of clothing, or when they move from a bottle to a sippy cup. But, every once and a while i wish i could freeze the moment i just had with my daughter, make it linger just a little longer. Her sweet laughter and innocent mischief are soon going to give way to quick, excited good-byes as she hurries off to see her school friends.
As much as i want her to grow and flourish, i also want her to slow down, just a bit. I want to make her freeze in time so that i can enjoy her as she is now, for just a little bit longer. We all know that's not going to happen, we all know that before we know it, our "babies" will be graduating college and soon having babies of their own. . . . But, one can wish. And that's what I'm doing with this blog post, wishing a little, and grieving the passing of time, just a little.. . :)

Dress-up for Less. A DIY Tiara and Wand Tute

2011-08-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

My little girl is just barley 18 months old and already loving to dress up and pretend she's a princess.(groan) Along with this phase comes the need for a tiara and matching wand/scepter, of course! We had a cheapo set in the back of a closet somewhere that i had bought as a gift and had never given, so i gave them to her to play with and this was the result:

She LOVED them. So much so,in fact, that she wore them for an hour each time she played with them and would stop to admire the fluff on the crown. Unfortunately, because they were a dollar-store special, they broke after two days of toddler-love. And so, that brings me to the subject of this post.

Since Baby Coupon loved these dress up items SO much, i decided to make her, her own, toddler-proof set. Luckily, everything i needed i had on hand and was able to create a matching tiara and wand set in the time it took her to take a nap :)

And since i believe sharing is caring, here's a tute(of sorts)

What you will need:

For the tiara/crown:

Headband that fits your child's head
Ribbon
Hot glue
Jewels of your choice(i used clear rhinestones,because that is what i had on hand)

For the wand/scepter

10" long wooden dowel
ribbon matching the ribbon you are using for the crown
hot glue
ribbon(coordinating colors)
Jewels

To make the crown:

Cover your headband in the ribbon of your choice(if you already like the color of your headband, you can skip this step) For my headband, it was pink, so i covered it in a 1" wide green patterned ribbon.

2. Cut you accessory ribbon down into 6, 5" strips for the large loops, and into 6, 3" strips for the small loops.

3. Make a loop with a 5" strip of ribbon and glue onto your headband

4. Continue like this all the way around the front of the headband until you have used all of your 5" strips of ribbon.

5. Make a loop with your 3" strip of ribbon and glue into place in between the larger loops(see photo below)

6. Glue your jewels around the base of the headband .

7.Put it on your princess and "ooh" and "aw" :)

To make the wand/scepter:(sorry, no step by step pics for the wand)

Measure out a piece of your 1" wide ribbon the length of your wooden dowel(mine was 10")
Place a thin line of glue along the length of the dowel on one side
Fold ribbon over, adhering it onto the dowel
Place another thin line of glue, this time on the opposite side of the last line of glue
Fold ribbon over so the the dowel is no longer visible
Gather your coordinating ribbons, cut at different lengths.
Place a dot of glue on the end of the dowel, and adhere a piece of ribbon to the top of the dowel
Repeat , alternating directions of the ribbon, until finished
After you have adhered all of your ribbon pieces, put another dot of glue at the top of the dowel(now covered in ribbon) and adhere a jewel.
If you would like your wand to have a bit more sparkle, adhere different sizes and shapes

TADA!!

Now you have successfully made your little one a one-of-a kind tiara and wand set.

Did you decide to make your daughter one of these sets? Show and tell please!! Comment or shoot me an email at Sarawenzel59@gmail.com

Sure! Why Not?!?

2011-08-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

So! As you all know, i am now a working mama. And that alone has my plate over-filled with things to do, people to see and babies to snuggle. . . . Apparently, that was not enough for me (lol). In addition to being an ever-trusty cashier, i am now also the new scrapbooking instructor at Michaels in Avon,MA!

Unfortunately, a teacher is only as good as her students. . . and right now I'm no good since i have a total of zero students. That's where you come in my lovely readers!!

Whether you are just starting to venture into the scrap booking world or have been scrap booking for years; we have something for everyone. My first class is Martha Stewart's "Punch Around the Page" The class fee is only $10,plus cost of supplies(but you get a 10% discount of f the cost of your supplies if you show us your class registration at check out). In this class you will learn how to: Create a four-sided border, Layer punched elements and much more!

This class is a one-time, 2hr long class on Friday,September 2nd, from 6p-8p.

If this sounds like something you would like to attend, come on down to Michael's in Avon and sign up!

Hand-made Christmas: Tile Coasters

2011-08-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone to the store to buy something, and then not end up buying it because the cost was just outrageous? That is the feeling i used to have about coasters; but not anymore! I stumbled upon a tutorial for ceramic-tile coasters here via Pinterest(LOVE this website!) I followed the basic instructions but changed a few things, so here is my version of the tile coasters:

You will need:

6 white 4" ceramic tiles(.16 at Home Depot)
2-3 sheets of 12x12 Scrapbook paper of your choice
Home made modge podge*
Scrapbook stickers(these are optional and add a little bit to the final cost, but i decided to use them to make my coasters even more special to the person they are for)
Felt/silicone furniture pads(the silicone ones are called "bumpers" for some reason) 1/2" diameter
Acrylic sealant spray
Paper cutter
paintbrush

Cut your scrapbook paper down to size. If you have a Cricut, i suggest using that since it makes this step much quicker, but a good 'ole trusty paper cutter will do the trick if you don't have a cricut.

After the paper is cut down to size, line up your tiles.

Spread a thin layer of your "modge podge" on the tile first, carefully lay your scrapbook paper onto the tile and carefully smooth out any air bubbles. Spread another thin layer on top of the scrapbook paper, set aside to dry.

Repeat until all of your tiles are covered with the paper.

If you are using stickers, place the sicker where you want it on the tile, cover in a thing layer of "modge podge" and set aside.

Put 2 or 3 three more coats of "modge podge" on each tile, letting them dry fully before applying the next coat.

Turn over and adhere your "bumpers" to the bottom of each coaster.

Spray with the sealant, step back, and admire your awesomness!

Price break down:

Tile: 6 tiles, at .16ea. Total price : .96

Paper- 1.48(for 3 sheets)

Stickers- 2.24

Bumpers/furniture pads-3.74

Total- $8.42*

*These were more expensive because i decided to go with the silicone bumpers and stickers, i made another set without stickers and with felt bumpers, the price break down is below:

Without Stickers/silicone bumpers:

Tiles: .96

Paper: 1.00(4/$1 sale, so .25ea)

Felt pads 1.84

Total- $3.80

*How to make your own modge podge:

Pour 4oz of elmers glue into a container at least 9oz deep

Fill elmers bottle with hot water up to the top, but not over flowing

Pour into the container you poured the glue into

Stir

VOILA! Modge podge!

If you decide to make these, let me know!! Comment here or shoot me an email at Sarawenzel59@gmail.com !

Meatless Wednesday-Zuchini Casserole

2011-08-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

My husband is the definition of the word "carnivore". He would be happy with steak all day everyday for the rest of his life. I, on the other hand, am more of a borderline-vegetarian, meat for the most part grosses me out and i only eat certain kinds. Most of our meals contain meat due to my husbands need for meat, but because i can't really stomach it and the baby won't touch it; i have established "Meatless Wednesdays" into my weekly meal-planning. For today's "Meatless Wednesday" i decided to go with Zucchini Casserole(sorry,no pictures today)

Ingredients

2 Summer squash,thinly sliced
2 Zucchini,thinly sliced
1bag of mozzarella cheese
4 cups pasta shells
1 sleeve Ritz crackers

Preheat oven to 350. In a large pot cook the squash and zucchini ,5-10 minutes,until tender. While the squash is cooking, cook your shells until they are al dente. In a 9x13 casserole dish layer squash,cheese,pasta and repeat, putting a generous amount of cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 15-20. Take out and cover the top of the casserole with crushed Ritz crackers and drizzle with melted butter. Cook an additional 5 minutes and enjoy!

I'm BAaAaAaAAAAAaaaaack!

2011-08-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hello my loyal readers (I'm going to pretend that people actually missed me posting lol)

As you may have notice,i haven't posted in quite awhile. That is due to the fact that i got a job! Yep,that's right folks. . a real-life, out-of-the-house job! Its only a part-time retail position,but between that,Mr. Coupon and Baby coupon,i hardly have time to breath anymore, never mind blog.

But,i have missed blogging,and i have missed sharing my thrifty finds and simple crafts and meals with you; so i am going to try a bit harder to keep up with my posting. Can you believe its AUGUST already?? School's about to start up soon and Halloween,Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. With Christmas just a couple months away, and our wallet a whole lot tighter than usual, I have made the decision to do a "Home-made Christmas" this year. "What is a Home-made Christmas?" It is just what it sounds like (heheh) , i have decided to hand-make every one's gifts this year, in order to spend as little as possible on gifts while still showing my loved ones how much they mean to me. In order to give myself enough time to get everything together, I am starting on the projects now. As i complete the projects,i will make a post for each craft with either a tutorial or a link to the tutorial i used,plus a break down of prices. My budget goal is $250 or less for everyone on my Christmas list. Are you planning on a "hand-made Christmas"? Comment and let me know!

The Hidden Blessings of being Unemployed.

2011-07-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

Recently my husband was let go from his job, and i have been unemployed for about 7 months. Needless to say, this has left us with little to no money in the bank, even less in our pockets and an ever-growing stack of bills about to bury us at any moment. .
Being the crazy control freak that i am, letting go of the control and facing the completely unknown and uncharted waters was more difficult then i can ever put into words. I started to worry about how we were going to eat, where we would live after we (inevitably) got thrown out of our home. . . etc. The worry just about consumed me, then, out of nowhere, windows started opening and light started to filter into my dark corner.
Those "beams of light" came in the form of generous,beautiful friends and family; encouraging words, a few dollars, love and support came flowing in. I started to see that my problem wasn't that i had no hope, it was that i was giving up the hope i already had. I was looking down at my feet, only seeing the muck and myer that was weighing me down. When i finally decided to look up, i saw many, many hands reaching down, offering me a hand up. All I had to do was reach up and take them. As obvious as it may seem, friends are a huge blessing in the time of need (and all other times ,too,of course) that i just had not noticed before now.

As my friends surrounded me and started to lift me up, i started being able to see the blessings of being unemployed that i was missing before.

We are now able to spend more time together as a family,
My husband and I are closer than ever before(but we do still fight)
We are becoming MUCH more thrifty and even more creative then before
We are seeing the sliver lining to things more easily

Thank heavens for Cloth Diapers!- A FYI of sorts. . .

2011-07-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

Now, some of you may have already started to wrinkle your nose and be thinking "ewwwww! cloth diapers? GROSS!" But i ask you to just hear me out before you jump into that mindset, you may be changing your mind by the end of this post.

About 6 months ago, my daughter had the diaper rash from the deepest part of hell. Her lady parts,bum and legs were raw and sore and extremely itchy, to add to the fire, she developed a staph infection on her bum(due to the incessant scratching) , and she was battling crazy horrible eczema. Needless to say, she was BEYOND miserable! The poor thing couldn't stand to be in her own skin, never mind clothes and a diaper. Not knowing what the heck was going on, we changed from disposable to disposable, going through at least 2 different brands a week, in an effort to give our poor baby a break. After almost a month of creams,diapers and tears, i decided to try some Gdiapers as a last-ditch effort to give my baby some relief. After about 2 days of using the Gdiapers, her rash was significantly better and after 4 days of a medicated cream and Triple paste concoction, her rash was GONE. Her eczema almost completely went away within one week of using the Gdiapers.
We were sold, we have been cloth diapering ever since and haven't looked back. Grace is almost always rash free (her eczema still flares up from time to time) and 1,000% happier. Since buying the Gdiapers, we have moved on to a stash made up of primarily pre-folds and fitted's with covers and a few one-size pockets; those are just what work best for us. . . there is nothing wrong with Gdiapers(just in case you were wondering :) ) Recently, my husband lost his job and now that we no longer have money coming in, I am falling in love with cloth diapering all over again. We aren't spending any money on my daughters diapers or wipes(we use cloth wipes and i make my own wipe solution) and it truly is a god-send! If you are interested in learning more about cloth diapering, check out the links below!

Cloth Diapering 101
Diaper Swappers
Jack Be Natural
Cloth Diapering Glossary . This is by far the BEST diapering glossary i have ever come across!

Sharin' the love :)

2011-06-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

I firmly believe in giving credit where credit is due, sharing the love and spreading the wealth; so i am dedicating this post to my fellow blogging mama's. The below links will bring you to some of my favorite posts from some of my favorite bloggers on the interwebz. Check 'em out, follow them and savor the awesomeness. :)

Love, Honor & Wash the Dishes - The post the link will take you to, is one of the BEST tutorials on making your own laundry soap I have EVER seen. It is easy to follow, has lots of pictures and is very,very well written. Along with the laundry soap recipe, she also includes recipes for easy, inexpensive, and delicious. Go check her out and share the love!

Bacon In My Pocket - Ma Bacon(as the author calls herself) is the QUEEN of thrifty living, hands down. She shares all sorts of recipes,tips and tricks to keep a little "bacon in your pocket". Her recipes are to die for and the cost of the ingredients will leave a wallet a little heavier. Check 'er out, share the love!

Prudent Baby - This is my favorite site for DIY sewing tutorials! They are easy-to-follow, fun and the finished projects are super,super cute! Check them out!

Have a blog you love to follow? Share it below! I'm always looking for more great blogs to follow :)

Hidden Savings-Gems South of Boston

2011-06-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Hello my loyal followers!

It has been quite awhile since i have shared with you folks and boy do i have lots to share! I know in the past my posts have been more about crafting and cooking than actually shopping and saving money; but all that is about to change. . . . RIGHT NOW!

::magic dust and glitter::

*~*:::~;;*~:::::*~*~*:::::*~*~*~:

BAM! A MONEY-SAVING POST~!

As some of you may know, i live in good ole Massachusetts, about 30 minutes south of Boston. And it can be down right difficult to catch good bargains out here(they don't call it Tax-a-chusetts for nothing). But, i do manage to only spend about 65-70 per week for a family of 3, and i think that isn't bad at all, especially for where i live. Since I'm all about helping your fellow man (or woman), i thought i would compile a small list of stores that i go to. Some of these may surprise you, others may make you give the computer the side-eye and say "no DUH!" Just keep on reading, and hopefully i will help you save just a bit more moolah for youlah (heheh).
Please note: i am not getting any sort of kick-back for these reviews and the list is in no particular order.

First up, Candy 'N Mor , located at 955 W. Chestnut St, Brockton,MA 02301. At first sight, this looks like BJ's evil twin brother and your first instinct may be to run away to a more streamlined store. But i implore you to at least go inside, you will not be disappointed. Despite the name, this store has a large variety of items for so cheap you will find yourself looking over your shoulder for a well dressed man with a hidden camera; but no worries, its all very legal :) The reason the prices on their food is so cheap is that a lot of the food's exp. dates have just expired, they are about to, or the packaging is slightly damaged. As many of you may know, the exp. dates on foods are usually just ballpark guesses from the manufacturers, so that they don't get sued. That being said, use your discretion and check the labels, because this store DOES carry food that is not yet expired(if you are queasy about eating food past the date). Along with food, they also carry everything from candy to house-hold products to office supplies and back, all at excepional prices. If you are skeptical about just how good the prices are, let me share with you my recent scores at this hidden gold-mine of savings.
At my last trip i got:
1 6LB can of sliced pears, still well within exp date for 1.99
96 oz bottle of juice-2.99
24 pack of green tea bags-.99
1 bottle of terriaki marinade-.99
15 pack of scrubbing sponges for .99
3 pack of ice cube trays-.99
24 pack of assorted plastic cutlery-.25

Now, if that list doesnt convince you, i don't think you have any buisness reading this blog, because those are some KILLER savings!

Next up is Aldi's food store, these stores are fairly national, but i go to the closest one near me, in Taunton, MA.
I like this store because anything i can't(or wont) buy at Candy N Mor, i can buy at Aldis for just as cheap or cheaper. 90% of the food they carry is Aldi brand so they can sell for way less then other grocery chains who buy from a distributor. The items at Aldi's are just as good, or even better than the leading national brand names and are half the cost. I actually prefer the Aldi's brand corn chips than say, Doritos or Fritos. You can get all of your canned,boxed and frozen foods here for amazing prices. The only items that I have found cheaper elsewhere is lunch meat, cheeses and meat(steak,pork, turkey etc)

Last, but most certainly not least, is Dollar Tree stores. I don't have a specific store I go to, as they all pretty much have the same deals and merchandise, more or less. I buy all of my party supplies,pregnancy tests and office supplies here(if i can't get what i need at the Candy N Mor store). The only warning i will give is that it is very, VERY easy to get sucked into the "everything's a dollar" vortex of spending. So i suggest making a list and sticking to it, so as to not faint from sticker shock when you check out.

Iced Mint Green Tea

2011-06-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

It's summer, and that means beach days,tank tops and my husbands favorite: Iced Tea.

Mr. Coupon LOVES iced tea, he would drink it all day everyday if he could. Unfortunatley, he really enjoys the pre-bottled stuff (like Arizona or Lipton) and we cannot afford to buy it right now. So, i decided to make his favorite hot tea into a cool, sweet beverage that he can have all the time.

I used equal parts of green tea and peppermint tea, but you can buy Green Tea Mint from Salada if you prefer(it IS very yummy!)

You Will Need:

8 Green Tea,teabags

8 Peppermint tea,teabags

2 medium lemons,sliced

2 quarts of water

Plastic pitcher

2 cups of sugar

Fill a large pot with 2 quarts of water and add the 8 green tea,8 peppermint tea bags, sliced lemon and 2 cups of sugar. Steep to desired strength, pour into pitcher and serve chilled on ice :)
It is a very simple recipe, but it is very yummy,cheap and satisfying :)

The Amazing Stain-Removing De-Funkifier Review

2011-06-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I shared my recipe for my "Amazing Stain-Removing De-Funkifier" (if you missed it,check it out here )

It has been about a month since I first started using this solution on my cloth diapers as a last ditch effort in the battle of stinks and stains. And I am SO happy to report that ALL of my stink issues are HISTORY, set-in stains are not completely gone but defiantly lightened and new stains don't happen. It even has some extra benefits ; the vinegar acts as a fabric softener and all of my dipes are almost as soft as when i bought them.

AND, this stuff is so amazing, it also cleans my bathroom, my toilet and hard water stains, and I even use it as a dish detergent and my dishes are cleaner then they have ever been.

I am honestly amazed how AWESOME this stuff works, and the uses are absolutely endless!

Cardboard. . .not just for your shoes any more!

2011-06-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

This is yet another re-purposing post. :)
If you are anything like me, you have stacks and stacks of cardboard boxes just collecting dust and taking up space in your house. Where we live, it is difficult to recycle, so if I can, I reuse and re purpose as many things I can.
I LOVE to craft. Anything crafty, I'm right there. Unfortunately, because of that love of crafting, I have TONS of crafting supplies and fabric; not to mention all of the finished projects. So, as I was looking around my house today, I got the idea for the Cardboard Craft Organizer

Cardboard Craft Organizer
You will need:

3 large boxes
3-6 small trays/boxes (number depends on what you are storing)
wrapping paper or brightly colored fabric
packing tape
hot glue gun
thin wooden dowels

Gather your boxes

If your boxes have flaps, cut them off to leave four clean edges .

Take two boxes that have similar depth/width and attach them ,long sides together,with hot glue

Take the two boxes you attached together, and glue them to your base box (i suggest using a sturdier weight box for the base, like a water case) Stabilize the two sets of boxes by taping the edges with packing tape.

Cut out a notch about 6" deep out of the top of the top boxes.

About 3" inches in, notch out 4 parallel, triangle notches that are 1" deep and 1" 1/2 wide

Cover your smaller boxes with the wrapping paper/ fabric and packing tape and place your wooden dowels into the notches at the top.

Load your fabric and ribbon into the organizer and sit back and admire your green, crafty creation!

No-Mess Pancakes

2011-06-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

For me, feeding BabyCoupon breakfast is the hardest time of the day. Figuring out something to give her that she will actually eat,won't stick too badly to the floor and won't be a nightmare to clean out of her hair is a challenge, to say the least. Throughout the months and months of sticky,messy,oy-vay, trial-and-error, i have found out that pancakes seem to be a favorite of hers. Now, pancakes are easy enough to make and aren't all that hard to clean off the floor or out of her hair. But, who eats pancakes WITHOUT maple syrup? Not my child, that's for sure!
As we all know, maple syrup is notorious for being sticky and messy and just plain a pain in the rump to clean off of anything, especially a squirmy worm like my 16 month old. So, i set out on a mission to figure out how to give her the same sweetness of maple syrup, without all of the maple syrup mess.. .

. . enter the "no-mess pancakes"! Now, this is a very simple creation, and i am most likely NOT the first person to come up with the idea. Nonetheless, i do feel like a genious :)

No Mess Pancakes

Complete pancake mix of your choice
Maple Syrup
Cinnamon (optional)

Prepare pancake mix according to package. Drop 2 tbs of batter into pre-heated skillet. As soon as the first bubble appears on the pancake, drizzle syrup onto the pancake. Cook 1-2 minutes more then flip, cook until each side is golden-brown. . . VOILA! Yummy,no-mess pancakes that your child will enjoy eating,an you wont mind cleaning up.

Also, for a fun twist, we like to use pancake molds like those show below :)

.

Reduce,REUSE and recycle.

2011-06-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

With everyone going "green" and being more earth-conscious, the phrase "reduce,reuse,and recycle" has become pretty popular. I am in no way as "crunchy" or "green" as I should be. Truth be told, most of the "green" things I do are to help our bottom line, the fact that they happen to help the earth is a nice bonus. :) I use cloth diapers,cloth wipes make my own stain remover,all purpose cleaner, and dish detergent and use reusable bags as much as possible. Unfortunately, i do not recycle as much as i would like, but I DO reuse quite a bit.

Here are a few ideas:

Plastic bottles and containers: wash out your Cool Whip container and use it to store left-overs; rinse out your Windex bottle and use it to store your own home-made cleaning products

Wrapping paper: Need to make a pattern but have no shipping paper or grocery sacks lying around? No problem! You can use some of those rolls and rolls of wrapping paper you have leftover from Christmas. Just un-roll the paper so that the printed side is down, trace and cut what ever pieces you need and VOILA a brand new pattern!

Fabric: Need to wrap a gift,but don't have any wrapping paper or tissue? No problemo! If you have some scrap pieces of fabric lying around, you can either sew them together to make a scrappy-wrap(tutorial coming soon) or just use a large piece of fabric and tie with a ribbon. Also,if you don't have any fabric,you could use newspaper,paper sacks or shoe boxes as fun and creative gift wrapping.

Old T-shirts: Old Ts make AWESOME cleaning rags,diapers,dresses,different styles of shirts.. . . The possibilities are truly endless

Do you have any tips or tricks on what you re-use and re-purpose? Comment and let me know! I am always game for a new project!

When neither coupons nor prayer is enough. . .

2011-06-11T00:23:00.000-07:00

. . . . I do my best to earn money through my crafts. I make and (try to) sell my creations on Etsy.com. Check it out here.

But, business is dreadfully slow and Mr. Coupon and I are in desperate need of some funds. I need ideas, any and all. Right now i make burp cloths and bibs, tote-bags,hair/shoe clips,hand painted terracotta pots,wooden mobiles and clay ornaments. . . .and I am willing to try my hand at anything and everything, if it will get people to buy. :)
So, my dear readers. . all 3 of you . . that is where you come in! I need to know what you all are in the market for. What things do you love? What can you not resist that is hand-made?

Send me an email: sararwenzel@aim.com

Hit me up on my shop page on FB: http://www.facebook.com/index.php?eu=ifjbaMWHpQNsfBLn59RCrQ#!/pages/Slice-O-Heaven-Etsy-Shop/145431288839765

Comment Below.

Send me smoke signals or your favorite carrier pigeon. . . .the point is. . . LET ME HEAR YOU!

Too Hot to Cook??

2011-06-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

Whelp, summer has officially arrived in New England. Yesterday and today were in the high 90's and since my stove is a "heater stove" it literally heats the entire house. I had just gotten some fresh zucchini and yellow squash from the farmer's market and wanted to use that up,so i decided to whip up a pasta-salad-like dish that could be eaten hot or cold. I also added some butter beans to add protein and fiber to the meal for Baby Coupon.

Pasta and Veggie Dish

You will need:

1 medium zucchini

1medium yellow squash

1small can of mushrooms

1 can of butter beans (optional, Green beans would go great with this dish)

Olive oil

seasonings of your choice(i used, Italian, soy sauce,pepper and garlic powder)

Pasta of your choice

preheat olive oil in a medium saucepan for about 2-3 minutes, add chopped zucchini and squash,beans,mushrooms and spices, cook on medium-high heat until the squash is tender.

Cook pasta according to package. Spoon veggie mixture over pasta and enjoy!

It's a dressing. . . It's a fruit. . . . IT'S A . . .

2011-06-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

. . . . . STAIN REMOVING, DE-FUNKIFIER!!

That's right, i made a stain-remover and de-funkifier out of the products i had just collecting dust in my pantry! And chances are, you have these items collecting dust in YOUR pantry too. All you need is water,pure lemon juice and white vinegar. . yup. . that's it!

Recipe for the amazing Stain Removing De-funkifier

You will need(for 32 oz):

2 cups of water
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup vinegar

Combine all of the ingredients into your re-purposed spray bottle and VOILA! You are now the proud new owner of the Stain Removing De-funkifier(SRD) :)

I use my SRD mostly for removing poo stains and stink from my cloth diapers. You can spray the spray directly on the stain and let sit for about 5-10 mins, then throw into the wash with the rest of your diapers. OR if your diapers are just stinky, add 3 tbsp to a tub of hot water and soak your diapers for about 5hrs, adjust the amount of SRD according to the amount of stink/diapers you have.

Do you have any cleaning/laundry products that you make? Leave a comment and share the green-cleaning love!

Healthy-ish Seafood-Free Kielbasa Jambalaya!

2011-06-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me and my husband, you know how much Mr. Coupon LOVES any kind of meat or sausage. So this next recipe is for him. :) This a Jambalaya-ish meal using brown rice,kielbasa,mushrooms and black beans and goes can be eaten on tortillas as a burrito or straight out of the pan!

You Will Need:

1 package turkey kielbasa
1 can black beans
2 small cans of mushrooms(or 5 fresh )
3 cups of brown rice
Hot sauce of your choice

Cook rice according to package, set aside. Slice up the kielbasa and combine in a large skillet with the beans and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat about 5-10minutes until heated through, add the brown rice and hot sauce, stir until the ingredients are evenly coated with the hot sauce and serve on warm, whole wheat tortillas and enjoy!

My Version of the T-shirt diaper: T-shirt Prefold

2011-06-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

I got the idea of a T-shirt diaper from a friend and decided to re-vamp it a little. Instead of re-folding every time, I tri-folded the the T-shirt and sewed a hem along the openings on the side, and either end.

See below for step-by-step directions complete with pictures :)

T-Shirt Pre-fold

If the shirt has a graphic on it (like the one pictured below)
Lay the shirt with the graphic facing up.

Next fold in each sleeve to meet the edge of the collar(as shown below )

Next, fold the right side into the middle, and fold the left side on top of the right(as shown below)

Next, sew around the open edges. . . .

After all of the open edges are hemmed,run a zigzag stich through the top where you folded under the sleeves, so that they dont bunch up when you wash them.

annnddd VOILA!!!

(don't mind the brown one, it was my first attempt)

Praise the Lord and Pass the Savings!!

2011-06-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

Thrifty shoppers and home-makers, REJOICE!

All*You magazine has just added the most AMAZING section to their site! It is called the Grocery Circular Round-up, and just as you may infer from the title, it searches all of your local grocery store's sales ads and tells you what is on sale and what has coupons that week! It has a bunch of cool features, including the "Search by Item" tab. All you do is click on that tab, type in your shopping list and press "find savings" ; the search engine browses all of your local stores and generates a list of what items on your list are on sale at what particular store and how much the item costs.

As a mama on a budget, the best part of this whole thing is that this service is FREE! No monthly dues or fees or even a secret handshake! I am seriously jumping up and down with excitement, that's just how awesome this feature is! Also, for those of us who are more health-conscious and organic, the search engine also includes natural food stores such as Whole Foods(if you have one near you) and even includes printable coupons from said natural-foods store. So it really is a win for everyone, go check it out! Weekly Circular Round Up

Poor-(wo)man's calzones

2011-06-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday's meal at our house is usually the most creative because we have very little money and even less food. So this Thursday, i was digging around in my fridge and came up with this simple, yet DELICIOUS, (and more importantly) cheap meal.

Poor (Wo)man's Calzones

2 (8ct) tubes of ready-to-bake crescent rolls
Cheese of your choice(we used American)
Lunch meat of your choice(We used honey ham)
Mustard

Lay two crescent triangles long-sides together, and press them together. Spread a thin layer of mustard, layer on cheese, top with the ham and fold the edges around the meat and cheese, creating a completely closed roll. Bake according to package instructions and ENJOY!

Pictures to come later

Prayer and Coupons now has a new home!

2011-06-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new home of Prayer and Coupons!

I have decided to move my blog from Wordpress.com to Blogger for various reasons, but the main reason being that I have more contacts through Blogger than Wordpress. In the coming days i will be transfering my archived post from the old home to the new one.

Stay tuned for more prayer,coupons and money saving tips!