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Archive for Family and Finance
Saving Money on Thanksgiving Dinner
Posted by: | Commentsby O Quinn
Thanksgiving dinner can be a very expensive meal. But you can take steps to reduce the costs this year using a few of these ideas.
One of the easiest and best ideas when trying to save money on Thanksgiving is to make it a potluck. Have all the parties coming to dinner provide a dish. We do this EVERY year and it cuts down on costs considerably. Make a chart listing categories such as main dish, vegetables, starch, dessert, drinks, etc and note who will provide what in each category.
Another idea is to not cook more than everyone will eat. My mother loves to cook many different dishes “just in case” but this “just in case” has often turned into a waste. Do your calculations on serving sizes and don’t over feed your guests.
Shop in advance. Things like butter, canned cranberry sauce, and soup stocks (unless you make your own) tend to go on sale during holiday time. Make sure you get yours before they run out. Pick up these storable items (butter can be frozen) a week or two in advance. Search brand websites and your newspaper for coupons for even larger savings. Read More→
Craft Project – Thanksgiving Holiday Garland
Posted by: | Commentsby Shelly Hill
When our daughter was around 8 years old, she invited over a few friends for the day to do some crafting with us. Since it was the beginning of November, we decided to make a Thanksgiving holiday garland.
This project can be done in one afternoon. If you are doing several of them at a time (group project), I suggest precutting all of the fabric strips ahead of time.
1 roll of sisal twine (2 or 3 ply for durability)
scraps of homespun fabrics
all-purpose craft glue (or glue gun with adult supervision)
acorns, twigs, pinecones, dried pods
scissors
Step 1: Measure out the length of sisal twine that you will need to make your garland. We usually do 3 to 4 feet. Cut it from the roll. Tie each end into a loop, this way when you hang it up, you can easily do it via the loops. Read More→
Grow your Business During the Thanksgiving Holiday
Posted by: | Commentsby Corrie Petersen
Business owners need to grow their business all the time. They don’t stop for the holidays. Sometimes it can be hard to work for growth at this time of year, but it needs to be done.
Right after Thanksgiving people start preparing for Christmas. This is the perfect time to get your business noticed or to get your products out there for people to purchase. Here are some tips and tricks that will help you grow with ease.
• Prepare ahead of time
When you plan ahead, you will accomplish more. Plan your online and offline advertising in advance. Write your ads and save all the sites you will post them to in one place so you don’t have to search. Print out your flyers ahead of time and have them ready to go so you can hand them out without a flaw.
• Blog posts
Write your blog posts and schedule them for the dates they are to go out. When you do this, you won’t even have to think about it. You will have the time to think when you do it ahead of time and you won’t make mistakes. Read More→
Turkey Cooking Time – How Do You Know When It’s Done?
Posted by: | Commentsby Darlyn Burkle
Whether you just fancy a turkey for dinner, or it’s thanksgiving and you are preparing the traditional turkey meal, you will need to get the cooking time right. Different sizes of turkey take different lengths of time to cook, and while an overcooked, dry turkey is not a very tasty meal, the alternative – an undercooked turkey and the risk of food poisoning, is even less attractive. While steaks are OK to consume rare, poultry has a much higher risk of disease from being consumed undercooked.
What to Consider
The cooking time of a turkey depends on several factors, including the method of cooking, the dish used to cook it, the size, and whether or not the turkey is being cooked from frozen or fresh.
You can get guideline cooking times from most cookbooks, and many cookery websites offer calculators that will help you work out how long the turkey will take to cook. The standard times are usually based on weight, and whether or not the turkey is fresh or frozen. Don’t forget to adjust the time – fan assisted ovens, for example, usually cook more quickly than non fan ovens. Read More→
10 Meal Planning Tips For Stress-Free Holiday Meals
Posted by: | Commentsby Shelly Hill
When it comes to hosting holiday parties and family events, it is important to plan ahead and come up with a game plan several weeks before the big day or event.
Here are 10 important tips to help you enjoy a stress-free holiday party.
1. When hosting family gatherings, we tend to over invite guests. Keep your guest list manageable and only invite the amount of people that you feel you can handle. Inviting too many guests will cause over-crowding and unnecessary stress.
2. There is nothing wrong with asking others to help out by bringing a dish, dinner supplies or even showing up early or staying an hour late to help you prep or clean up after the meal.
3. Keep your decorations and decor simple. You don’t need to go all out and decorate every nook and cranny of your home or entertaining space.
4. Clean your home and entertaining space a week in advance. Then the day before the gathering, go back in and just do some light cleaning. Read More→
How to Grow Your Business While the Kids are on Christmas Break
Posted by: | Commentsby Corrie Petersen
You know, it doesn’t matter if you work full or part time from home, it’s a struggle when the kids are out of school. When you work full time from home, you are used to having your days free while the kids are at school, to work your business. When you work part time from home, you are used to having your evenings free because the kids have homework and have to get to bed early.
When Christmas break comes around, it can be a challenge. You want to spend time with them and they want to spend time with you, so your business time may be limited. Here are a few tips that will help you get through this break and still grow your business.
First you need to realize it doesn’t matter what type of business you run, this can be done. You need to put your mind to it and schedule your time in advance and you can make it happen. Read More→
A Christmas Angel Your Own Little Angel Can Make
Posted by: | Commentsby Denise Willms
Here is an easy Christmas craft your preschooler can make with a little help and supervision. Even if your preschooler isn’t always an angel, she can still help you decorate a Christmas tree with beautiful paper angels.
What you need:
Construction paper (any color)
Scissors
Pencil
Cotton ball
Items to make large and small circle patterns (plate, coin, lid)
White paper
Glue
What you do:
First, use a large circle pattern and draw a large circle on the construction paper. Read More→
Holiday Baking: Time-Saving Tips and More
Posted by: | Commentsby Tammy Embrich
There is nothing better than the sweet smell and delicious flavor of fresh homemade pies, cakes, and cookies…especially during the holidays.
Baking for the holidays should be both rewarding and fun. Get your kids involved. Have them go with you when purchasing the ingredients…make a day out of it and go for lunch. It will make the day more meaningful and also will get your children interested in actually helping to prepare your family favorite treats.
You can always take the easy way out and purchase Mrs. Smith or Sara Lee ready-made desserts. But of course, it’s just not the same as made from scratch and certainly not as much fun. If you’re like me…you want everything festive, special, and homemade. The aroma of homemade delights baking in the house gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Read More→
How To Make A Peppermint Cake For Your Holiday Party
Posted by: | Commentsby Shelly Hill
When it comes to baking special desserts around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons, I like to make this Peppermint Cake. Every year I make it for our holiday parties and always receive positive reviews and requests to make it again.
It does take some time to make this dessert cake, but it will be well worth your efforts.
Peppermint Cake Recipe
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda Read More→
Original Handmade Christmas Gifts Ideas
Posted by: | Commentsby Adriana Copaceanu
It’s that time of year again and you’re looking for a way to save some money at Christmas time. One way to not only save money but make your Christmas gifts a bit more personal is to give out homemade Christmas gifts. Making gifts for family and friends can be very rewarding and will also make sure that you are giving an original gift that they have never received before. Read on to find out a few homemade Christmas gift ideas that should help you get started.
Gift Basket – Find a good size basket line it with colored tissue paper, red and green work well. Then make up a theme for the gift basket. If you are making this for a female then you can get some nice bath soaps and crystals. Add in a few scented candles and a nice bath towel or robe, add in a nice book and you have a great gift ready to go. If it’s for a male then you can go with some wine glasses, and a nice bottle of wine, or some beer mugs and a six pack of their favorite beer. The point here is to find out what the person likes and just add that to your homemade Christmas gift basket.
Gift Jars – Making homemade Christmas gifts in a jar can be just a simple as the gift baskets. Find out what types of foods the person likes and place them in a nice jar. You can find them at any home good stores. There are especially good for someone that likes to cook. You can find all the ingredients of a favorite recipe and put them the jar. Make a nice label to put on the outside with the instructions on how to make it. This can be on a card tied to a string around the top. Use your creative side to figure out what to put inside your gift jar and it’s sure to be a hit. Read More→
