Homemade Bath Salts

We are working with a tight Christmas budget this year, and we're hoping to do as many homemade gifts as we can. While I love making edible gifts to give, there is only so many people like to recieve--so I had to broaden my horizons.

Recently while shopping, I began to look at some of the pre-made gifts on the shelves and realized that many were things I could make at home for less than half what I could buy them for. Why pay the middle man?





Homemade Bath Salts are perfect for teacher gifts, or even in a basket along with some specialty {homemade} soap, a loofah or some washcloths for members in your family. If you wanted to spend a bit more, you could even add a robe and some slippers, along with a soothing candle for a bathtime treat.



The supplies for this project cost me less than $5, and I have enough for 3 gifts. You will need Epsom Salt, Baking Soda, glass containers, and ribbon.




I bought Lavendar Epsom Salts so I wouldn't have to add essential oils. If you can't find scented salts, just add a few drops of your choice essentials oil until you reach your desired strength. I always buy my baking soda in bulk because I use so much of it. Those little boxes never last!

Combine 2 parts of Epsom Salts to 1 part Baking Soda and combine together with a fork. Add into glass containers for giving as gifts. Decorate with ribbon or raffia.

This jar, in it's former life, was full of baby corn that you use in Stir-Fry dishes. Perfect size for a Teacher gift in a festive basket. Add in a small candle or a bag of chocolates and you have a gift for under $4.

I picked up this jar at a yard sale this summer for .50 cents and I've been waiting to find the perfect use for it.


What gifts are you making this Christmas Season?

This post is linked to:

• http://asoftplace.net/2010/01/diy-day-with-imparting-grace/
• Frugal Friday

Homemade Baking Mixes

Homemade baking mixes are a great way to have the convenience of pre-packaged foods from the grocery store, but without the added cost and all the processing. With homemade baking mixes you are able to customize them to your wants and you are able to add as much nutrition as your heart desires. Homemade baking mixes are very convienient for every day use as well as a nice homemade gift.

One of our personal favorite mixes is Cinnamon Pancake Mix. We are huge cinnamon and pancake lovers in our house--so there was no doubt that this mix was just for us. You can always add more or less cinnamon depending on your tastes. Another mix that goes perfect in gift baskets like the ones I mentioned in this post, is Buttermilk Biscuit Mix. These bisuits taste so good with apple butter, but they would also go great in biscuits and gravy. Yum!

Don't forget to check out other ideas for edible gifts and how to package them (as well as enter to win an EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale) here.

Cinnamon Pancake Mix

In a food processor or blender combine:

3 cups flour (Can use whole wheat)

4 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons baking powder

4 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

Put mix in a festive bag or jar and attach these instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 C. milk, 1 egg and 2 tablespoons oil. Once combined add in 1 1/3 cups pancake mix. Cook on a hot griddle. For added fun, use a plastic condiment container to draw shapes.

Buttermilk Biscuit Mix

This recipe is adapted from Taste of Home Magazine (which is one of my favorites of all time!).

Combine all the following ingredients in a food processor until it is mixed together completely:

8 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups buttermilk powder
4 tablespoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/3 cups shortening

Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Be sure to attach these instructions:

Combine 2 cups of mix and 7 Tablespoons of water until a dough forms. Roll out on a floured surface and cut with a biscuit cutter. Bake at 375° until golden brown.

This post is linked to:

• Works For Me Wednesday
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday

Hosting a Frugal Thanksgiving

Big gatherings with lots of food and decorations can easily become a budget disaster. Hosting a frugal Thanksgiving, or Christmas for that matter, isn't impossible. Doing so requires a bit more planning, but the savings in the end will be worth it. One thing to remember in the midst of all the craziness is the purpose behind all the decorating and cooking. While it is nice to have a beautifully decorated home, and a big spread of food, the celebration is more about the company and the celebration than the stuff. Don't make yourself go crazy over planning it all.

For decorations, simplicity is best. Take advantage of as many real things as you can, like acorns {HoosierHomemade has a super cute idea using acorns here), leaves, pumpkins and gourds. We grew a bunch of pumpkins this year, and I've tried to incorporate them in my decorating before turning them into puree. Also, make crafts with the kids and incorporate them into your centerpiece or overall design.

You can see how I've decorated for the fall season in this post.

The food is generally the biggest expense when it comes to a holiday meal gathering, but planning ahead will really pay off.

• If the get-together is fairly big, don't feel bad about asking your guests to bring a side dish or dessert. I'm sure they would be more than happy to help you out.
  
  
• In the weeks leading up, keep your eyes peeled for the loss leader sales. Grocery stores are trying to get you in their door and are going to offer rock bottom prices on certain items. At a grocery store in my tiny area I'm able to get a turkey for .40 cents a pound, 3 pounds of sweet potatoes for $1, and canned veggies for .39 cents (although our preference, as well as the more frugal option, is home canned). That is only one store, which isn't a national chain.
  
  
• Make it from scratch. Instead of buying turkey gravy for your mashed potatoes , use the broth from cooking your turkey and make your own gravy in a snap. Remember those heels of bread you usually toss--turn them into stuffing! Or how about making your own dinner rolls, even if it is a few days in advance, instead of buying the pricey frozen ones? Oh, and definitely skip that canned pumpkin, and make a true pumpkin pie!
  
  
• Try not to go overboard. I know this hard, because I struggle with it myself. However, the more food you have, the bigger expense there is. I know Thanksgiving traditionally is a feast, which is a-okay--but don't go waaaayyy out and break your budget (and lose your sanity) in the process.
  

Be sure to check out Frugal Friday and Thanksgiving on a Budget for more ideas.

Packaging Ideas for Edible Gifts

**UPDATED** Winner is announced at the bottom.



Welcome to this weeks round of the Holiday Food Fest! This week we're covering Packaging Ideas for Edible Gifts. I absolutely adore packaging Christmas presents. My husband makes fun of me for all the time I spend on packaging up our gifts.

I usually try to give a fair amount of homemade gifts every year. Not only do I find it to be more personal, but it makes for a frugal Christmas. Over the last year I have become more comfortable and confident in the kitchen, so I purposed to make even more edible Christmas gifts this year.



For Thanksgiving this year, we are going to see my family in Iowa. What a great opportunity to drop off some Homemade Christmas Gifts!






I took a jar of Jalapeno Jelly and a jar of Corn Cob jelly and attached a festive ribbon around the jar band. For the tag, I used a piece of white cardstock and wrote the serving instructions inside. For this gift I also included Buttermilk Biscuit Mix with a cute snowflake cutter. The candy cane bag was purchased at Dollar General for $1. Total Cost=Under $4




{Please forgive the quality of the photos from here down. My 4yo knocked the camera off the counter..I have yet to find part of the lens that flew off. :( }



I'm so upset that you can't see this basket very well. This is a Breakfast Basket and includes:

• Cinnamon Pancake Mix
• Buttermilk Buscuit Mix with Snowflake Cutter
• Homemade Vanilla Chai Tea Mix with Snowman Mug
• Jalapeno and Corn Cob Jellies in Red Snowman Bag
• Plastic Condiment Bottle w/these instructions on a cute printable Christmas Label: Fill with favorite pancake batter and draw on hot griddle for fun, shaped pancakes! My children LOVE it when I pull mine out!
• Wooden Spoon for mixing
• Plastic Spatula for flipping pancakes
• Green Snowman Towel for cleaning up
• All of this is contained in a plastic green bowl, perfect for use later on.

Total Cost: Under $8

This is more of an All-In-One Basket, I used Jars for the mixes intead of bakery bags. It includes:

• Homemade Vanilla Chai Mix with Snowman Mug {Breakfast}
• Buttermilk Biscuit Mix {Breakfast}
• Jar of Homemade Apple Butter {Breakfast}
• Chili Mix in a Jar w/plastic serving spoon {Dinner}
• Brownie Mix w/wooden stirring spoon {Dessert}
• Snowflake Towel for cleaning up
• Also in a plastic green bowl.
  

Total Cost: Also right around $8

When making homemade mixes, be sure to attach a label with directions so the recipent knows what to do. I did a quick Swagbuck search for "Christmas Lables" and found a lot of really cute options. I use a fair amount of ribbon and Christmas Stationary because it adds a special touch. If you want more of "country" feel, you can use Raffia in place of the ribbon--or even together. Before passing these gifts along, I will wrap the baskets in cellophane and tie off with coordinating ribbon and another home printed tag.

Oh, I can't wait to give them out!

Additonal ideas: I packaged up hot cocoa, homemade marshmallows, and made baggies of Heaven on a Stick for teacher gifts.

Now it is your turn.

What Edible Gifts are you giving this year? What are your Packaging Ideas?

Last weeks giveaway winner is: Saveur at TasteSpace! This week if you link up you enter to win an EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Scale.

"The EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale is a versatile multifunction home appliance. Designed to be highly accurate and aesthetically pleasing, the Precision Pro is manufactured to the highest quality specifications. Weigh items up to 11 lbs quickly and accurately, with results displayed in four different units: grams / ounces / pounds / kilograms. Weigh food items directly on the scale platform or utilize the scale's tare (zero) function, which eliminates the weight of a plate or bowl and makes cleanup a snap. The high resolution screen provides easy viewing angles on any kitchen counter and the five rubber feet eliminate sliding. Additionally the three minute auto-turnoff feature ensures that you will never again lose your measurement in the middle of your recipe prep!" ~Excerpt from Amazon.com

Digital scales are a great tool for any cook. They come in handy when having to measure ingredients for canning, or even bread making--as some recipes state the weight of an ingredient versus a measurement. This scale is pleasing to the eye, so it won't be gawky sitting out on your counter top. The Auto-Turnoff is especially handy for forgetful cooks like me--don't want to waste those batteries!

Link up or comment on this post to enter to win! Must be in the United States to win. Winner will be announced on Wendesday, November 25th.

Can't wait to see your ideas!

Linda from Gluten Free Homemaker--you were picked by Random.org!!

Feathering my Nest for Fall

Are you ready for Fall? I know I am, and my house--well it's getting there.

I've slowly been adding in fall bits and pieces to our decor. I think I'm going to make a new wreath this year, or atleast spruce my current one up a bit. Somehow while it was in storage, some flowers have come up missing. I'm also thinking maybe adding a some ribbon to the top.





Our outside bench greets you with freshly picked pumpkins that are patiently waiting to become pumpkin puree for future pumpkin pies. The squash bugs got most of our plants, so we were well pleased that we still made out with this harvest. The smaller ones will probably only get us the equivalent of one can of pumpkin, so all together we are looking at about 21 "cans". Pumpkin puree is not safe for canning, so these will be frozen, but it still counts toward our already full pantry that we've put up so far. Food wise, I think we are ready for winter!




I call this our "Bible Bench", which is located in our living room. All of our bibles are kept underneath it, or under the pumpkin so they are easily accessible for reading.





Our simple Fall centerpiece that contains our one and only "Sweet Dumpling" pumpkin:


Walking down the hallway you'll see the kids' bench has also been decorated. I got the witch and mummy decoration many years back at the Dollar Tree, after Halloween for .50/ea!



I made this witch from an old mayonaise jar (you know, back when the containers were still glass?), spanish moss, felt, and a wooden ball. I also made a pumpkin one that I haven't gotten around to getting out, although it is my favorite, probably because it is also a candle holder.


Even the bathroom is decorated!


Over the last few weeks we have been so busy with soccer practices and church functions, that I haven't had much time to finish packing up our summer goods and bring out our fall/winter things. I'm almost afraid to pack up all of their summer clothes, because we are still having some warm-ish days yet.

I also like to do a big declutter when fall comes along. I'm hoping to go room to room and simplify our belongings and take it all into the local thrift store. Fall is for Fresh Beginnings!

What do you do to Feather Your Nest for Fall? Come on over to Hoosier Homemade and join in on the Fall Festival!

Guest Post: Frugal Vacations

Today is my 27th Birthday and my husband is off work, so we're out of here and off to the lake for some frugal family fun! The following is the first part in a two part Frugal Vacation Series. Stay tuned next Friday for a post on Staycations. Thank you for your post, Tiffany!

Tiffany is a Homeschool mom of 4 kids, ranging in age from 17 to 6 years old. On her blog, Eat at Home she shares recipes and tips to help families put dinner on the table quickly and economically.

Frugal versus Affordable – I want to share with you some ideas that will help you save money on your vacations but that does not mean that the vacation will necessarily be affordable for your family. For instance, it is frugal to shop around for cheap flights, however flying to a destination will rarely, if ever be affordable for my family of six. For the first twelve years my husband and I were married, we did not take “real” vacations because we couldn’t afford them. Two or three times we were able to take long weekend trips with our kids, but it has only been in recent years that we could afford to go on week-long trips together. That is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s just the way it is sometimes. Hopefully, these ideas will get you closer to being able to take an affordable vacation.

Start with a Budget – Figure out how much your family can afford to spend on a vacation. It’s okay to do some dreaming about the type of vacation you’d like and if you have a budget already in place before the dreaming starts, you’ll be able to come back to reality quicker. You might even find that by making a few adjustments you can afford the vacation you really want.

Saving on the Big Ticket Items:

Transportation – Generally, there are two options here – flying or driving. In some cases, flying may actually be cheaper. If you’ll need to break up a long drive with a hotel stay, then it might make more sense to fly. Or if you have a smaller family it could be cheaper to fly. Remember to factor in transportation to and from the airport as well as airport parking.

Lodging – If at all possible, you do not want to pay “rack” rate at hotels. Finding discounts at some destinations is easier than others. You can research discounts on Disney hotels at MouseSavers. At all hotels, ask about any discounts they may have available. There have been times when I saved money by buying a AAA membership just so I could get the hotel discount. You do have to be careful with the math, but it pays to look into the possibilities.

Another way to save on lodging is to rent a vacation home or condo instead of staying in a hotel. Again, some destinations have more to choose from in vacation rentals than others. Many beach areas have places available, as do Gatlinburg, TN and Disney World. A great place to start your search is Vacation Rental By Owner. They list places all over the United States as well as many other countries.

Food – Feeding the family on vacation can be a real budget buster if you’re not careful. We usually pack foods for breakfast. It’s easier if you have a refrigerator in the room, but still possible if you only have a cooler. On one trip we needed to keep the costs down and I “cooked” in the hotel room using a hot pot like college students use. I made canned soups, canned ravioli with bagged salad that I packed in the cooler etc. It was not the best food we’ve ever eaten but it was affordable for us at the time.

If you’re staying in a vacation home or condo and have access to a kitchen you can save lots of money by packing your food and cooking at the house. Our family has done this on two vacations now. Read my post on Vacation Food to find out how my mom prepped food and packed it on dry ice, then it was “assembly only” cooking at the house.

When eating in restaurants you can save money by only drinking water and by sharing food when possible. Many table service restaurants have meals that are plenty big enough to be shared by two people. When we do this, we leave an extra big tip to cover the extra people, but it is still cheaper than ordering more food. In some destinations it’s possible to find a menu online. This is especially helpful in budgeting food costs.

Tickets and Admissions – Beach vacations require nothing in the way of tickets or admissions, making them very frugal as long as you spend your time on the beach and not the mini-golf course. Vacation spots like Disney will eat up a large chunk of your budget for tickets. If you’re planning on going to several museums or zoos, check into the possibility of a family pass at your local zoo or museum. Often, these will get you in free or at a discount to many other museums or zoos across the country. We saved quite a bit of money this way on a trip to Chicago.

What kinds of things do you do to save money on vacations?

This post is linked to Frugal Friday.

Easter Sales

You should know by now that I love a good deal. Catching one can really make my day!

Right now all the stores are desperate to get rid of their extra Easter goodies. Most of the time you can get them anywhere from 50%-75% off this week. Stock up now!

A couple years ago at the after Easter sales I picked up the dying cups. I had been eying them, but I thought the asking price was a little steep for what they were. I paid very little for these, and I re-use them every year. Just wash them out when you are done using them, dry completely and pack away in an air tight container and store away.

Now all I need to pick up ever year is the egg dye! I try to pick up a clearanced box (or 2), and we are set for the following year. Generally I pay no more than .50¢ a box. If I miss a clearance, the stash that I have accumualted is good enough!

It is also a good time to stock up on Easter baskets. You can pick these up fairly cheap, and they can last for years to come, just tuck them away in a storage box with the rest of your Easter goodies. Our kids re-use theirs every year, and will continue to do so until they start to fall apart.

Be sure to pick up some clearanced Easter chocolate while you're at it--you deserve it for saving money! :)

If I have any extra egg decorating stickers, egg wraps or anything else, I just pop it all in a ziploc bag and store it with the rest of my stash. Nothing goes to waste!

Shopping after holiday clearance sales has saved me loads of cash. Same product, half the price. It works for me!

This post is linked to: Works for Me Wednesday

St. Patrick's Day Meal Idea

With St. Patrick's day coming up next week, LifeAsMom chose it as the theme for her Ultimate Recipe Swap this week, which really got me thinking.



Quite honestly, I usually don't pay much attention to these smaller holidays--but that is another one of those things that I aim to change. I would love for my children to have precious memories of the fun things we have done on these holidays. You can keep them so simple, but so memorable!



This year, for dinner I plan to make Corned Beef, boiled potatoes, and fried cabbage. For a little bit of fun, I'll make Green Milkshakes.



No fancy mint milkshakes here, my husband doesn't like it.



I was emailed this recipe for Crockpot Corned Beef from Betty Crocker. It sounds so delish!


1 lg sweet onion, sliced
3-3 1/2 lb, well-trimmed corned beef brisket
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp horseradish sauce
2 Tbsp parsley


In 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, place onion. Rinse beef and discard seasoning packet (or find another use for it). Place beef on onion and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Mix broth and Worcestershire sauce. Pour mixture over beef. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours. Before serving, mix sour cream, horseradish and parsley. Serve with beef and onion.

And, since my oldest is greatly interested in history, I'm going to use this free homeschool curriculum about St. Patrick for a fun activity.

Do you have anything planned for St. Patrick's Day? Any great recipes to share?

Be sure to check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap for more St. Patrick's Day recipe ideas, and Grocery Cart Challenge for even more recipes.

Making Themed Birthday Cakes

**Edited to add link to spongebob cake**

I love making cakes. It all started after my oldest's 1st birthday. His babysitter was a cake maker, so she offered to make his cake for free. I was elated, until I seen the cake. I don't know what she did, but it didn't look like Blue Jean Teddy Bear. My mom and I decided that we would just start to make our own.


What a blast it has been! And, much cheaper than me finding a baker to make themed party cakes for my children (and then worrying about how they turn out).


I came across FishMama's blog here a while back (it is fantastic, by the way) and she is having a birthday cake round-up.


Awesome!

So, here is a cake that I made for my daughter's 4th birthday. She was into Strawberry Shortcake big time!

Next to the spongebob cake I made, this is the easiest one, ever!

You can use almost any size round pans, as long as there is a relatively big difference between the 2 sizes. I cannot remember the exact sizes of mone, but I know that they were 2 inches deep.

To make this cake all I did was

1. I bake the cakes. I just used a white cake mix and followed the directions. It will depend what size your pans are on how many cake mixes you need.


2. Then I tinted the icing using paste. I never use food coloring because I can never achieve the color I am going for (paste is much more vibrant) and I just don't like it. Paste is a bit more expensive at first, but you use so little so it will last forever. For this cake I tinted the majority a light pink, a little dark pink for the band, and some green for the strawberry tops.


3. I then just used fresh strawberries, cut in half and placed them all over the cake.


4. I found some ribbon at Wal-Mart that was similiar to Strawberry Shortcake's and I used it for the bow of the hat.

Voila!

Oh so easy, fast, personal, and frugal. My kiddos look forward to picking our their cake, and watching as it all come together. The smile on their face is oh so worth all of the work that goes into them!

Definitely a tradition that we will continue.

For more frugal idea, head on over to Biblical Womanhood.

Heaven on a Stick

These are kind of hard to see, but hopefully you can kind of tell what they are.

I really wasn't going to post today, but these are heaven on a stick, so I had to share. They are oh so easy, too.

You'll need:

• Pretzel Rods
• Kraft Caramels
• splash of milk
• toppings. We used butterscotch chips, chocolate chips and toffee bits. You can also use white chocolate chips, nuts, Andes mint chips, peanut butter chips, etc. Do whatever your family likes.

Unwrap all of the caramels and add a splash of milk. You can either melt them in the microwave or on the stovetop. When melted sit aside to cool/thicken just a bit. Meanwhile break your pretzel rods in half., and dump all of your toppings in a bowl. When the caramel is thickened up, dip or spoon caramel on broken end of pretzel about 3/4 of the way down (leaving enough room to hold on to the end). Roll it around making sure the whole end is fully covered and stuck on. Then, roll the pretzel end around in topping heaven. You might have to use your hands to push some more on and make sure that it sticks. Immediately place on wax paper to become set.

I made about 25 (for now) and used about half a package of each topping. I melted all of the caramel, but I still have a fair amount left for more.

I packaged mine in three's (I ate the rest) in the cheap-o sandwich bags that don't have the zippers. I then tied them with pretty ribbon to close them. I'm putting these on Christmas gifts for my nieces and nephews.

For more recipes go here.

Frugal Gift Ideas

I put on some Christmas Music this morning after having a talk with my mother...and I must say that it has definitely helped me with my mood! Praise Jesus! Things were seriously getting crazy around here!

I finally got the teacher's gifts done and halfway packaged up. Thank goodness, too! I need them by tomorrow afternoon. Nothing like procrastinating!

Anyway, here is what I've got..it's not a whole lot, but, we had a good time making them. And, I'm sure they will appreciate them, nonetheless.

I started out by making up a batch of Homemade Hot Cocoa. I used this recipe. I stuck with just the regular vanilla pudding, but I'm dying to try a chocolate or something else. Since this was so easy and turned out cute, I think we've decided to also give some to my sister in laws as well.

I scooped 2 cups of the cocoa mix (a total of 8 servings) into a ziploc bag, and taped it to green cardstock that I had laying around. I wrapped the card stock with a white sheer ribbon, and a deep green. I stapled those to the top, which in turn stapled the cardstock together at the top.

For the topper I took a white cardstock and a green vellum that was imprinted with holly decorations. I got this at the dollar store, literally years ago. I hole punched it and tied a white and a gold ribbon along with a tag telling you how to mix it.

I then decided to try to make a tag out of paper and felt. I've never in my life sewn on paper, and I must admit that it was alot easier than I anticipated. But, you can tell that I have a lot of room for improvement! The tag is made out of white card stock, green felt Christmas tree, and then the red is actually the piece of paper that was in the back of the package of green vellum! Nothing goes to waste around here! :)

Then, my favorite part yet today. Making marshmallows! Hey, if it's going to be a homemade Christmas, might as well make everything you can, right? I knew you could make marshmallows, but I had no idea how easy it really was. And fun!

The recipe I used came from Food Network, but I made my own minute changes. Little did I know, but I am out of cornstarch, so I omitted that and just used powdered sugar. Also, I'm an impatient cook...so I did not wait 4 hours for mine to set before we started to cut them. My daughter has been pestering me since we mixed these up an hour ago to cut into them. I finally gave in, because I wanted to taste them. It worked! They should probably set a little longer, so I only cut up enough for the picture. I really wanted star marshmallows, but my cookie cutter was HUGE. The only small one I had was a heart.

If I were to make them again, I would definitely experiment with peppermint or even chocolate. I'm sure the possibilities are almost endless here.

Some of mine are crooked..but they are awesome! Way better than store bought!

When these are done, I'm going to put them in a small baggy and tie with a cute ribbon and probably the above tag and add them to the loot.

I was originally thinking that I would also make pretzel rods dipped in melted carmel, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and toffee bits. I don't know that I will get around to that...but we'll see!

I also have a Glade Holiday Oil Candle holder along with one refill pack that, after coupons I spent a total of $1. I've got 3 teachers this year (Nicholas and Kaitlyn's teacher as well as Nicholas's gifted teacher), so I had to keep it simple so I didn't break the budget.