This Frugal Family

Jacob, age 6, loves his Magic Sketch Deluxe Kit.  He uses it everyday, and has for 2 weeks.  I’m surprised it’s keeping his attention.  He’s into the electronics, but Magic Sketch has found something to occupy his mind. You get everything in the featured, picture above, for one price ($29.95).  This is an excellent value for my child’s happiness.  He loves the Magic Sketch case, and when he hits the button, he can start again.  The roller stamps is his second favorite thing in the list.  He loves his doodles, but to think, he starts over, and does it over and over.  No more iPad, for now.  Just some doodles from a little boy who has my heart. Features & Benefits: See through screen for sketching Multi color screen 7 Year Battery Life Durable and water resistant I’m sure your child will love Magic Sketch, as much as my 6 year old.  It’s taken up a good bit of his day.  He went from Youtube, to Magic Sketch.  He does still turn the music on, but he’s so into the Magic Sketch, and I’m glad.  I was sick of him always being on the iPad, and he needed to really…

We love Khor Vodka.  It has a great taste, and settles well in your stomach. We aren’t drinkers, so my dad tried it.  He said it was great, in the recipe, featured on their page, and found below.  So, I tried a taste, and it was mighty delicious.  Didn’t drink too much, though, because I don’t like being drunk.  Especially with having surgery in less than a week. Orange is the new Black Drink: 2 oz Khortytsa Platinum 3 oz Blood Orange Soda (San Pellegrino) 1 oz Pomegranate Juice (Pom)  1 Dash Orange Bitters (Fee Brothers) 1/2 oz Lemon Juice   Glass: Rocks Add all ingredients expect Pom Juice to glass over ice and stir. Top with Pom Juice.  Garnish: Blood Orange I couldn’t even taste the Vodka, that’s how great this drink was. There’s an entire page of recipes, which is great.  It tells you which Khor to buy, because there are 4 different Khor to choose from. My dad also tried the Hot Honey Pepper Vodka, and he said it had a different, but delicious, taste.  He’s not a heavy drinker, but knows great taste.  And, he tried the Risky Business Recipe on the page.  Said it was a delight as…

Winc is not your traditional wine club: we are a direct-distribution global wine company that personalizes the entire wine experience – We are perfecting how wine is made, distributed, perceived and purchased via our Palate Profile quiz that recommends wine based on your unique tastes and I’ll add enjoyed on behalf of a new generation of wine drinkers. It takes the hassle and guesswork out of picking a bottle from your local liquor store and delivers the perfect bottle directly to your doorstep. We do all this as part of our quest to improve the experience for consumers, create a platform for artisanal winemaking, and build a grape-to-glass supply chain that’s sustainable for the planet. No more intimidating language and steep price points, and more joy in the act of sharing a bottle. $22 Off Your First Month of Winc Wine – Winc offers 4 personalized wines each month. Bottles start at $13 each. www.trywinc.com/usfamilyguide

I love the new Quick-Fix Dinners Cookbook from Southern Living.  It makes dinner time so much more satisfying, because it doesn’t take as long to make it now. No longer stress at dinner time, now you have recipes, at your fingertips, that take literally 10 – 30 minutes.  The Veggie Roll-ups is one of my favorites, and the first that I tried.  It took no time at all to get it made, and was delicious. In QUICK-FIX DINNERS, the editors of Southern Living magazine have streamlined crowd-pleasing Southern classics and modern fare to bring you recipes that take just 10, 20 or 30 minutes to make, (like a 30-minute Cast Iron Chicken Picatta, a 20-minute side of Roasted Broccoli with Orange-Chipotle Butter, and 10-minute Ambrosia Meringue Trifles!). My husband’s favorite is the Chicken and Wild Rice Salad.  He loves rice, so this was great for Joe.  Page 171, for this recipe, and it’s delicious as well.  It only takes 10 – 12 minutes to cook.  Because of the fact, that you use a packet of rice, instead of making it from long grain rice. Even 6 year old, Jacob, will eat when I use Quick-Fix Dinners.  Jacob loves that I have…

Readers.com is a great go-to site, for great glasses.  I love them, and they look, and feel, great on. I’ve got to try the coolest, classiest pairs, and I will wear them before my expensive glasses.  They have great style, along with the fact that they work.  They are the same strength as my prescription glasses, just a lot more stylish for barely any cost. If you love the retro look, then The Red Bluff is a great choice for you! With metal accents, versatile color choices, and a retro square shape, just looking at this pair makes us think of Buddy Holly and Justin Timberlake. Available in powers +1.00 to +6.00. I love The Red Bluff.  My wife loves the way I look in them, as well.  She has complimented me, tremendously, when wearing The Red Bluff.  My strength is a 1.50, so these definitely came in my strength.  I have never been happier with glasses, as I am with Readers.com. Get style and convenience in one little package. Our Anderson reader has a lightweight frame with adjusting temples, nosepieces, and a handy pocket clip for storing. Losing your glasses will be a thing of the past. I adore the…

Thirty-One is one of my favorite places to shop.  During the Holidays, it’s no different.  I love their seasonal products, and so do the members of my family. The Hello Holiday Utility Tote is exceptional.  Carry all your gifts to your parents, or in-law’s, house with no issues.  All of our packages will fit great, in the Hello Holiday Utility Tote.  And, I can bring it home, with our gifts in it.  My 20 year old, Sarah, loves this Tote.  She’s tried to take it already, but I won’t let her, because I have big plans for this Tote.  Also, there are 16 styles of this Tote, if the Hello Holiday isn’t your style.  I love it though.  The little Snowmen just make my day. Pick up more than one, so you have for each house, you deliver gifts to.  This Tote will make an exceptional addition to any Holiday fun.  And, you can get it Monogrammed, as well. Key features: Polyester Wire support to hold shape Grommets for Pocket-A-Tote attachment Top-A-Tote can be added to keep items secure Collapsible for easy storage Monogramming and personalization options available Approx. 11.75”H x 21.5”L x 10”D I love the Hello Holiday so…

At Sydney Paige, you can buy a Back pack, and give a back pack, filled with supplies, to someone in need.  The backpacks are sturdy, and solid.  You can carry all kinds of stuff in them. We are using ours for the Hunting Season.  I was able to get a camo back pack, that the deer won’t see.  So I’ll be using it for hunting.  You can even pick where your donation bag goes.  This is great. The features of this bag are: 600D Polyester exterior for quality construction / 210D Poly interior for easy cleaning Padded, reinforced bottom Large main compartment with easy access double zipper Padded, fleece-lined laptop sleeve in main compartment Top zipper pocket to hold phone or glasses Front accessory pockets with ID holder, key fob and pockets for supplies Expandable side pockets Padded back and ergonomic shoulder straps Ladder webbing rows on front to hang favorite accessories Reflective piping on front of bag for safety “Vest-like” front to hang jackets / sweatshirts through 13″ x 17″ x 7″ There are so many backpacks to choose from, just take a look.  You can even have your backpack monogrammed. The Young Explorers backpack is really nice as…

Christmas with a Plan is the perfect book to planning the perfect Holiday Season. I love this book already, and I just received it.  I loved getting the first look, at all the ways to plan the perfect Holiday.  From Establishing a Budget, to gifts for certain people, everything has a space, for you to plan it out. With worksheets, calendars, advice and inspiration provides a step-by-step visual road map to creating the ideal (and organized!) Christmas.  You will love this book.  It’s “Christmas” planned out, in your own words. Get it today, so you have it in plenty of time for the Holiday, and start planning.  Christmas is only so many weeks away, this is the perfect day to start a plan. You start with “My Christmas Goals”, and go from there.  You will love this book. I know, things don’t always go as planned, but you can’t start something without some sort of a plan. About the Author Joleen Peoples is a wife, mother of two, and the creator of PeoplesLifeOnPaper series of planners sold through her Etsy shop (opened in 2014). Inspired by chaos, Joleen is compelled to create order – most effectively through her stylish and extensively…

Lightboxarts are so much fun.  They shine a little light on any subject.  From Halloween, to Christmas, to just a special mom, you can get them all over at Lightboxarts. Lightboxarts are great.  They light up a dark, dull room, with their light.  You can get them in 4 different types of wood.  They really have made my day, and my 20 year old, daughter’s day. I love the Halloween Lightboxarts, they will make our decorations a little brighter/scarier.  You can check out the Halloween choices, by clicking on the above or below links. The Christmas Lightboxarts will light up the tree, a little brighter.  You can check out all the Christmas choices, too, simply by clicking on the link. I just saw, on Lightboxarts, where you can get 10% off your first purchase.  Simply sign up for their newsletter, and get 10% off.  What a great discount.  Once you have one, you will love them all.  You won’t stop at one.  They are addicting. My goal:  putting a Lightboxarts in every room of the house.  They make great night lights, and we can turn off all the big lights.  My 6 year old is afraid of the dark, so…

We, in our household, love the Crated With Love Subscription Box.  It’s so great to get fun activities, to share with each other, on a monthly basis.  And, having two kids, ages 20 & 6, this is perfect for us.  The kids go for dinner, and we have “Date Night”. This month, it all started with a Puzzle, then with a few other activities.  The puzzle was quite challenging, but got us thinking.  Which, once a month, we need this.  It was a wonderful time, with my wonderful spouse. This really was a great night.  And, I subscribed for only $26.99 a month.  There are bigger boxes, but we went with the middle box, to start off with.  We have access to buy additional items, at a discounted price, if we’d like.  And there is an even more advanced box, for $59.99, one time cost. You will really enjoy your date night, like we did.  It gets you acquainted with each other again.  And, finding Likes and Dislikes. We’ve been together for 13 years, and Stephanie already had a young daughter when we met.  Now we have a young son.  So a date night, once a month, is a great thing.  And…