Ebates for Travel

Have you signed up for Ebates yet?  I hope so!  I waited a long time before singing its praises a couple months ago because I promise you: I will never recommend something to you unless I've fully tried it out already.

I love using Ebates for my online shopping.  Since I tend to look for the rock-bottom deals, I'm not generally earning very much at a time but, hey, every little bit adds up!

Recently, I set out to plan a tenth anniversary trip to be taken this fall.  My husband and I talked a lot and did a whole bunch of research and, finally, decided to take the family on a cruise.  (Yay!  Can't wait!)

And here's my tip for you today:

If you're planning a trip of any kind, be sure to check Ebates!

Here are just a few of the travel sites currently offering a percentage back when you go through Ebates:

• Expedia 1-4%
• Budget Rent-a-Car 3%
• Comfort Inn 3.5%
• Holiday Inn 4.5%
• Orbitz 1-3%
• Southwest 3%
• Travelocity 1-3%

Are these huge percentages?  No.  But travel, by its very nature, tends to be a significant purchase.  Even though I scored a fabulous deal on our cruise for five, I still got about $30 back through Ebates.

That'll pay for some fun souvenirs.  Or a bottle or two of wine.  Or a couple hours of babysitting services. ;)  Not a bad return for a single click!

Don't forget Ebates when you're booking your travel!

linked to Frugal Friday

(Heads Up: Affiliate links used in this post!  Thank you!)

The Best Part of the Night

We went out to dinner Tuesday night.  

This was a huge blessing to me, given the fact that my kitchen sink is not currently in place and my new dishwasher is not yet hooked up. 

The five of us were seated right away at a six-top, rather than crammed at a four-top... but that was not the best part of the night.

Our waiter was fabulous.  From offering to water down my youngest's cranberry juice to setting the kids' fries aside to cool a bit, he was perfect... but that was not the best part of the night.

Our food arrived promptly and was delicious... but that was not the best part of the night.

The entire bill for an appetizer, three kids' meals, two adult entrees, and five drinks (soda and juice, adult and child, respectively) was $26... but that was not the best part of the night.

Because the bill was so low due to fabulous promotions at Chili's, we were able to leave a rather monstrous tip to that awesome waiter... but that was not the best part of the night.

As I gathered my little ones and prepared to leave the restaurant, an elderly lady one table over touched my arm.  I turned and faced her and her husband:

Your children are so well-behaved.  Truly wonderful little ones.  You should be proud.

I was.

And THAT was the best part of the night.

Lent '11 Final Thoughts: Saving My Energy For the Battles That Matter

Lent has come to a close. On Sunday, we celebrated the Resurrection of our Savior... what an amazing culmination to the season! The hymn "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" declares Easter "our triumphant holy day" and I could not think of a better description.

It was a long, thoughtful seven weeks around here with lots of challenges and things to think about. In case you missed any of the challenges, you can find them here:

• Challenge 1: Ask about an opposing viewpoint.
• Challenge 2: Free write for five minutes defending a differing view.
• Challenge 3: Ask yourself if it's an issue of faith or morality.
• Challenge 4: Talk to someone about a past choice you made that you now doubt.
• Challenge 5: Seek out information about an opposing viewpoint.
• Challenge 6: Try the other side.
• Challenge 7: Give yourself some grace.

My final thoughts after having lived these challenges for the past couple of months?

It was SO good for me.

I don't want anyone to think that letting go of judgment means letting go of your opinions. It most certainly does not. But it DOES mean that I spend a whole lot less time worrying about choices other people are making. The dear mommy friend who let her child guzzle three cups of soda at a birthday party? Not my preference, but also not my decision. And that's okay. I reckon he'll probably turn out just fine. The raw milk I bought and tried? It was fine. But I don't think it's going to become a "regular thing" around here anytime soon. And I think we'll be okay. That lady who pays full price for all her groceries and turned her nose up at couponers like me? Not my issue. It's her money to spend.

I'm learning to just breathe. To smile. To look at the glass as half full and assume others are making the best choices they can for whatever season they're in.

This also leaves me with enough energy to fight the battles actually worth fighting... those issues of faith or morality I mentioned earlier. I will STILL defend the unborn and will gladly speak up on their behalf every chance I get.

Letting go of judgment involves picking your battles...

I'm choosing not to nitpick every dietary and lifestyle choice so I can use that time and energy to stand up for the life and death causes.

And that works for me.

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How to Eat From the Pantry For An Extended Period

Any of you who follow my menu plans know it already:

I haven't done a "real" shopping trip in eight weeks.

I'm also not a champion stock-piler. Yes, I try to grab extras when there are deals to be had but, like many, my cabinet and pantry space is limited, and I don't like to go overboard. (Note: If you like to keep tons of reserves on hand, I think that's awesome. Likewise, if you prefer to just shop week to week, I'm not going to judge you. I'm just letting you know how things happen in this house.)

So, it's been eight weeks. I've spent well under $100 during that time (including my pastured eggs and trial of raw milk.)

How?

Here are some tips for going an extended period without grocery shopping:

1. Take a full, detailed inventory of your pantry, fridge, and freezer. I find it helpful to note down actual amounts, e.g. six potatoes, 4 oz cheddar, five pounds of flour, etc.
2. Plan suppers first. It's a good place to start. For many families, this might be the only meal you all eat together and it also often requires the largest amount of food.
3. Do not limit yourself to "dinner food" when planning suppers. Soups, sandwiches, or breakfast fare can easily fill in a night or two.
4. Be specific: when I'm trying to stretch what food I have, I make sure to note how much of something I'll be using. It's important to note how many ounces of cheese I'll allot or how many eggs so, come the end of the week, I'm not left empty handed.
   
5. Get creative. This is not the time to follow recipes to the letter. In fact, I'd recommend abandoning recipes for awhile in favor of just putting together foods that sound tasty!
   
6. Also, be flexible. If you ARE following a recipe, be open to substitutions. Casseroles, stir fries, and the like are very forgiving if you need to switch up a meat or veggie. Pizza with Jack instead of mozzarella still tastes delicious. And, truly, we can get by with a mere four ounces of cheese on a 16" pizza if I shred it finely.
   
7. Say "yes, please!" Don't turn down food! If a neighbor offers you excess or a family member offers you leftovers, accept gratefully. Do not worry if you have a "plan" in mind for them. Consider it a happy blessing and have confidence that you can fit it in.
   
8. Make it yourself. Knowing how to bake and cook from scratch is extremely helpful when low on food. If you can bake a loaf of bread or whip up some tortillas, that's handy. It's also good to know how to "recreate" items... like using molasses and sugar for brown sugar or processing sugar and corn starch for powdered sugar.
   
9. Reconsider "must haves." We tend to serve milk to drink every morning with breakfast. But MUST we? Probably not if we have other adequate sources of dairy. I like to keep a wide array of fruit on hand. But is it really a tragedy to rely on apples, frozen berries, and raisins for a week? Not really. It's only temporary. On the other hand, when we ran out of coffee, I made a trip to the store. My husband will tell you- you don't want to make me go without coffee for long. It's not even a caffeine addiction: I drink decaf. But I drink an entire pot by myself. I am PASSIONATE about my coffee. ;)
   
10. Don't sacrifice nutrition. Finally, don't get so hung up on "making it work" that you completely throw good health out the window. I think working with what you have can be a good exercise in discipline, creativity, and resourcefulness, but you're not "failing" anything by picking up necessary items at the store. I have most certainly purchased a few items here and there over the past few weeks. No shame in that.

How about you? Do you ever go a super long stretch without doing a true grocery shopping trip? What are your favorite tips for staying out of the store?

Linked to Top Ten {Tuesday}
Kitchen Tip Tuesday

Menu Plan: 4/24 - Eating From the Pantry Continues

Well, may as well just say it straight:

I still haven't made it to Aldi, which means it's been almost 8 weeks since I did a significant grocery shopping trip.

I did spend about $20 on Saturday on some produce, dairy, meat, and pasta to get us through another week. I'll be cooking up a whole chicken (from my freezer) today and that will go a long way in providing yummy meat for us.

Sunday:

B-Cereal, Applesauce, Milk

L-French Toast, Apple Slices, Hard-Boiled Eggs, Water
D-Easter Feast at Bama & Papa's

Monday:

B-Jelly Rolls, Hard-Boiled Eggs, Milk

L-Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup, Water

D-Italian Chicken Sandwiches, Salad

Tuesday:

B-Blueberry Coffee Cake, Applesauce, Milk
L-P, B, & J, Crackers, Raisins, Water
D-Spaghetti w/ Herbed Tomato Creme Sauce, Broccoli

Wednesday:

B-Blueberry Coffee Cake, Berries, Milk

L-Hard-Boiled Eggs, Saltines w/ homemade jam, Water
D-Souped-Up Tomato Soup, Cheese Bread, Salad

Thursday:

B-PB Toast, Apples & Cinnamon, Milk

L-Tuna Salad, Corn, Water

D-Black Bean Burgers, Orange Slices, Water (the kids eat at/after baseball practice on Thursdays, so portable food is important! :))

Friday:

B-Smoothies, Fruit

L-Cheesy Black Beans & Rice, Water

D-Chicken, Tomato, & Onion Pizza (one of my fave combos!)

Saturday:

B-Streusel Rolls, Apples, Hot Cocoa/Coffee

L-Ditalini w/ Philly cooking creme & ham, whatever fruit or veggie I can scrounge up. ;)
D-to be determined...

... I am hoping to have grocery shopped (finally!) before making that last supper there. Cross your fingers, please???

This post is linked to Menu Plan Menu.

What Happens When My Son Blogs

Ninety-five percent of what you see posted here gets done in that window when my older two are at school and my youngest is napping. I am simply NOT a night owl and I try very hard to reserve what little energy I have left in the evenings for my husband. This routine works very well for me.

Except it's Spring Break.

So I've been trying to write what needs to be written either before my children rise or while they eat breakfast.

I failed to complete the task a few days ago.

My six year old son asked me to do something (and, shamefully, I can't even tell you what it was) and I replied,

"In just a sec, hon. Let Mama finish up this article she's writing real fast, okay?"

And that was that.

Today, he brought me his toy laptop and asked if I'd like to use it to write an article. I smiled and suggested that he should write one.

He did.



Can you see it? Can you read it? I hope so. It was the most important "article" I've read all week:

God loves you.

And so, as I step away for the next few days to share this blessed season with my family, I leave you with that.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

Happy Easter.

Lent '11: Letting Go of Judgment, Final Challenge (#7)

My friends, Lent is coming to a close. This journey toward letting go of judgment has been simply lovely for me. Whether you've followed along the whole time or just popped in once or twice, I am happy to have had you along for the ride.

I cannot imagine that I would feel happier or stronger for having given up, say, chocolate. Working on being less judgmental is a heart change and attitude shift that benefits everyone.

And now, without further ado, here's our Week 7, and Final, Challenge:

Give yourself some grace. Make the best choices you can for your family and own them. An important part of this journey has been learning and opening your mind. In the end, though, you still get to decide what's best for you and you should be able to do so without beating yourself up... even if what you choose is not "perfect."

I am not being melodramatic when I say that these past couple of months have been life-changing for me. I have adored exploring viewpoints, opening my mind and heart, and working on freeing myself of the need to judge. I truly hope you've had a beautiful, meaningful Lenten experience as well.

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