Grocery Shrink

It's growing and not too full of weeds. Rabbits got all the beets, but I've already had a few baby peppers to eat. Close ups are of the Mimosa tree, mullen plant, red cabbage and cantaloupe blossoms.

My light tent came in the mail today.  It is a pop up tent that is 5 feet square and diffuses light.  It came with 2 photography lights and 4 backdrop choices.  I'm really impressed with how sturdy it is and how well constructed.  I played with it today photographing the kids.  It has a lot of potential.  The first picture is Heidi and Heather age 9 and 5.  Then Dub age 3.  And Heather and Dub.  Light tents help bounce light to take shadowless pictures.  (Mine still have a few shadows–user error).  Light tents are perfect for product pictures for ebay or etsy.  You can make your own table top size tent using trash around the house by following the instructions here:  http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent

June 21st is Father's Day!  Men can be difficult to buy for frugally.  Their favorite toys are electronic and powerful in nature, which usually translates to expensive.  On the other hand, most men value one thing over all else, and it is free to give — Respect!  To compile this list for you, I asked a variety of father's what would make them feel really honored and valued.  Not one of them mentioned a tie, lol!   Here's what they did mention:

1. Boys Night Out–set the date, invite his friends, center it around viewing sports (or whatever his interest is), make fabulous snacks, and then leave the house to the guys.
2. If you are handy sew a laptop case in manly fabrics with this great free tutorial:  http://tipnut.com/laptop-sleeves-cases/  (Okay… the boys didn't mention this, but my DH could really use one.)
3. Make him a bucket of homemade cookie dough in his favorite flavor to cook at his leisure.  Or if he'd prefer, make him a plate of his favorite cookies.
4. Massages were mentioned several times as a welcomed gesture.  A foot massage or back massage is quite a treat for a hardworking man.  Use peppermint lotion to help his muscles relax (a great choice is here:  http://www.marykay.com/angelacoffman/spabody/bodycare/10014096/10014096/default.aspx ) or olive oil with essential oils (sandalwood, lavander, orange, or peppermint are nice manly choices)
5. Breakfast in bed:  To be honest, I rarely cook a hot breakfast in time for my husband to eat it before he has to go to work.  It is one of the things about my homemaking skills that bothers me a lot.  But once a year, I think I could get it done–wink.  Here are a couple of fabulous recipes tp make your early morning surprise easy.  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Toast-Casserole/Detail.aspx ,

   http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amish-Breakfast-Casserole/Detail.aspx

6. Make a Homemade Card with your own version of the top ten list:  Top 10 reasons why you are a great dad
7. Take snacks to his work for all the staff with a sign to honor the BEST DAD!
8. Make a huge honey-do list and give it to him the night before to be accomplished the following day.  Then arrange for his friends to kidnap him early in the morning for a fishing trip (or any other activity that he would really enjoy).  Pack a picnic lunch for the group and tuck in a note telling him why you honor him and encourage him to enjoy his day.
9. Give dad permission to avoid household tasks guilt free for one day!
10. Take him "Window" shopping at a sporting goods store.  Don't complain that he is taking too long or make him look at girly stuff.  If you have children, make arrangements to leave them with a family member so you can put all your attention on him.
11. Men value an audience.  Just having a woman near that they care about gives them a boost of energy.  Unfortunately most women get frustrated when their man asks them to "help" with some task and they end up just standing there.  For one day, be willing to hang out with him, not requiring conversation or activity, but just be there.
12. Fathers like having photos of their family to brag about.  Make him a tasteful display of snap shots for his office.
13. Does your father live far away?  If you can't visit this year, borrow a camcorder and make a DVD of your family giving greetings, kids singing or playing instruments, maybe even a family skit to send him. 
14. Does your husband like golf?  Use some plastic cups and household items to turn your backyard into a temporary mini-putting range.  Here are some websites with ideas to help you:  http://www.wikihow.com/Build-Your-Own-Putt-Putt-Course-in-Your-Backyard , http://boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/718/fore/ , http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/make-your-own-mini-golf!-craft/ , http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=homemade+mini+golf+course&aq=1&oq=homemade+mini+go
15. If your father is too far to visit, use Skype's free services to talk via the internet.  If he is not technically savvy, arrange for a neighbor to help him set it up.
16. Plan a family game night.  Give him permission to unwind and then invite him to join the family for snacks and some fun board games.
17. Clean his room!  It seems that I can get the rest of my house clean, but my own bedroom takes the leftovers.  I know it bother's my husband though he rarely complains.  What a grand surprise it would be to have a beautiful clean and romantic bedroom with fresh sheets, rose petals from the garden sprinkled about, a hot bath, chocolate, and an attractively dressed spouse.  Happy Father's Day!

This is an excerpt from my weekly newsletter with a few extra ideas.  If you are popping over from the newsletter for more ideas, skip down to #4 and start reading there.

Wedding season comes right after graduation season and in the midst of Mother’s Day and Father’s day.  If you also have family birthdays on your calendar, this time of year can feel a bit like a hot Christmas.  With a little creativity and planning, you can still show your love and give help to the bride and groom without breaking your bank.  

1. Frame their wedding invitation.  Look through their registry to get a feeling for their decorating taste and choose an inexpensive frame that coordinates.  In the midst of the chaos, many brides forget to save themselves a copy!  Check out this link for instructions to make the project extra special:  http://www.ehow.com/how_2167336_frame-wedding-invitation.html'
2. Make a collection of jar mixes and give them in a large basket with a kitchen towel liner.  Many newlyweds are busy and a selection of easy to fix meals would be a helpful treat.  Here  are some recipes:  http://www.mixesinajar.com/
3. Choose a bowl or kitchen utensil from the registry and sew an apron to go with it.  Here’s a fast and easy pattern that looks great on many figure types:  http://www.blesseddesigns.net/store/results2.asp?Cat=Apronpatterns
4. Make a set of cloth napkins for every day and give with a recipe box filled with your favorite recipes and some blank cards for the bride to add her own.  Here’s a great tutorial for a beginner seamstress to make napkins:  http://lovetocrochetandknit.blogspot.com/2008/01/cloth-napkin-tutorial.html
5. Sew a set of placemats and napkins.  Use the registry as a guide for choosing the fabric.  Here’s a placemat tutorial:  http://twinmommyproductions.blogspot.com/2007/10/patchwork-placemat-tutorial.html
6. Do you know the couple well?  Add essential oil to olive or almond oil and make a massage/spa basket.  Here’s a recipe:  http://tulsacraftmafia.wordpress.com/2009/02/09/spicy-sensual-massage-oil-tutorial/  Print and laminate a card with massage instructions to go with it.  Here are some tips to choose from: http://healing.about.com/od/massagetips/Massage_Therapy_Tips.htm
7. Candles make lovely gifts and don’t have to be expensive.  You can even make your own, by melting down stubs of used candles.  Here are some tutorials:  http://www.candlehelp.com/
8. Create a memory album for the couple’s to use to document their honeymoon.  http://designwithink.blogspot.com/2009/03/tutorial-here.html Add a few items like sunblock, aloe gel and an underwater camera.
9. Make an after the wedding survival basket with snacks and often forgotten items, such as a toothbrush or travel sized products.  Be sure to mention it to the gift attendant, so it makes it in the getaway car.
10. If none of these ideas float your boat, check out the extra ideas here:  http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf50297515.tip.html and here:  http://weddingstyle.suite101.com/article.cfm/homemade_wedding_gifts

 Up for Giving Away this week is Lori Viet's Book, No More Bricks.  Lori is a talented baker and mom who is dedicated to feeding her family wholesome food.  In No More Bricks she teaches you how to make 100% whole grain bread that is light and fluffy and holds together beautifully for sandwiches.  Here's the description from her website:  www.breadclass.com

"Part One contains all the how-to's and why-to's of whole grains and breadmaking – from milling your own flour (or not) to the best way to slice your bread.  It even includes a Quick Start Guide so you can start making bread right away, before you read the book.  Part Two contains detailed instructions of how to make bread with ANY type of mixer or machine, or by hand.  Each recipe is scaled in four different batch sizes (1,2,3, or 6 loaves), so you can fit the capacity of your machine, without the guess work!  Once you've mastered the basics, you can follow my suggestions for creating your own unique bread recipes on the reproducible blank recipe chart.  148 pages with 75 photos."

This book is a must read for anyone who would like to include more whole foods in their diet.  To enter for your free copy, simply add a comment below.  In your comment tell me your favorite kind of bread or one childhood memory with bread.  If you are unable to add your comment, let me know at angela@groceryshrink.com and I'll enter you.

The winner will be selected June 25th.

Giving away stuff is so much fun that we're doing it again!  This time it is a Pack and Tote Reuseable Shopping bag from www.neadstuff.com Here is the description from the website:

"Unique and green reusable grocery bag made of recyclable polypropylene. Holds 45 lbs. Two bags lock open in cart. Arm straps keep hands free for doors and keys. Velcro top strap secures load for transport. Hard folding bottom. Folds to small clutch purse size. Helps environment by reducing the use of plastic / litter. Great functionality (has many uses), bag stretches around groceries, seals shut and saves trips. Safe with food (unlike canvas)."

Unique and green reusable grocery bag made of recyclable polypropylene. Holds 45 lbs. Two bags lock open in cart. Arm straps keep hands free for doors and keys. Velcro top strap secures load for transport. Hard folding bottom. Folds to small clutch purse size. Helps environment by reducing the use of plastic / litter. Great functionality (has many uses), bag stretches around groceries, seals shut and saves trips. Safe with food (unlike canvas).

It comes in 3 color choices–black, hunter green, and navy blue.  The one we are giving away is hunter green.  It retails for $8 each or 2 for $15.  What I noticed right away about the bag is its generous size and rugged straps.  The way it hooks onto the cart for easy loading (with sturdy plastic hooks), makes it perfect for stores like Aldi where you bag your own purchases with bags brought from home.

To win the bag, leave a comment to this post by clicking on the tiny "comments" word below this post and then filling in the white box at the end of the list.  For extra chances to win, subscribe to my free newsletter at www.groceryshrink.com and get the best frugal living information available delivered to your inbox on Fridays; post this giveaway to facebook, twitter, or your blog.  Do 3 of the 4 things and get 10 extra entries!  Tell me about what you've done in your comment.  Good luck.

P.S.  The winner will be chosen, Wednesday, June 17th.

I love gardens, but I'm not a good gardener.  My garden went to seed last year and I should have pulled it up, but instead I let the seeds scatter all around.  That made for some nice volunteer lettuce and cilantro plants this year in the garden spot.  I also have some hanging baskets on my front porch that were full of beautiful impatients last year.  Over the winter they dried up and I pulled the stalks out but left the baskets hanging.  I never have gotten around to planting anything new in them.  A few weeks ago when I pulled up to my house, I noticed a green plant poking up over the edge of one of the baskets.

I walked over and peeked into the basket.  You can imagine my surprise to find…

A lovely black seeded simpson lettuce plant ready for picking!  It's on the opposite side of the house from the garden.  I wonder if a bird helped me out? 

My mother in law is a fabulous gardener.  Below is a photo of one of her lettuce stands.  In the next post I'll show you a series of her beautiful flowers.

Hi Friend!  I'm so excited!  Creative Technology Inc. has donated a Vado HD pocket camcorder just for the readers here to win!  I am a proud owner of a Vado HD already and if you've seen my videos on Youtube, they were made with the camera.  It takes great video and is about the size of a cell phone.  I love that I can drop it in my tiny purse or put it in my pocket for recording anytime.  It recharges with a USB plug that folds right out of the camera.  It couldn't be easier.  It also has a USB extension cord so it will work with any computer setup.  When it's time to download your video clips just plug it into your computer.  Built in software on the camera takes care of the rest.  My computer came with Windows Movie Maker built in and the videos interfaced well with the program for editing.  I also love that there are no pricey tapes to buy.  The video is stored on the camera and then downloaded.  The video can be burned to a DVD from the recording for playback on any family theater system.  Retailing at $229, the price is hard to beat for High Definition recording.  If you are interested in videoing special family moments, or giving your business a boost through internet video, this is the camera for you!

How to enter

Entering the contest couldn't be easier.  All you need to do is sign up for my free newsletter (easy web from below) and then write a comment to this post and tell me you did it! If you are already signed up; let me know. That counts too. For 20 additional entries do 3 more of the 4 following things:  Share the opportunity to win with friends–Twitter about the contest with a link to this blogpost, facebook about the contest with a link, blog about the contest with a link, or post a Youtube video about the contest, why you want the Vado HD and a link back to this entry page.  Be sure to write a comment telling me what you've done.  The winner will be chosen via a drawing held June 10th, and the winner's entries will all be verified before the prize is awarded.  Good luck!  Your chances of winning are very good if you enter!

Katydid won our Sweet Blossom Pattern.  Congratulations!  Giving away stuff is so much fun, that I've decided to do it a lot more often.  My next prize is HUGE!  Well, okay, it's tiny, but it's very valuable.  Stay tuned for the announcement.