7-up Biscuits

The homemade bisquick was a success. These biscuits are just like Popeyes, which my boys loved. Here are the ingredients:

2 cups bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 melted butter

Mix the bisquick and sour cream together. Add 7-up. Put the melted butter in a 8x8 pan. Pour dough on top. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes.

You could always roll the dough and use a cutter if you would rather perfect circle biscuits. I took the easy route.

Homemade Bisquick

Another project I tackled today was my homemade Bisquick. A big box at the store runs us about $7.00.
This recipe calls for:

10 c. all-purpose flour (bought a sack for $1.99)
1/3 c. baking powder (had on hand)
1/4 c. sugar ( had on hand
4 tsp. salt (had on hand)
2 c. shortening (had on hand)

Combine all ingredients except shortening in large bowl. With pastry blender cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Store in airtight container, up to 6 months. Use as you would any other baking mix. Makes 12 1/2 cups.

I am using this tonight for my 7-Up biscuits to test it out. I wrote on the side of the container the directions for biscuits and pancakes, so I can easily put them together without running to my computer

Biscuits- 2 cups of mix and 1/2 cup of milk
Pancakes- 2 cups of mix, 2 eggs (beaten), and 1 cup of milk

Homemade Laundry Soap

I have been meaning to do this for some time and finally went on my scavenger hunt for the ingredients.

6 bars of Ivory Soap - $1.30 after coupons
6 cups of Borax- $2.99 for the box
6 cups Washing Soda (the whole box)-$3.24

Total cost $7.53



I grated up the soap, and then mixed it with the Borax and Washing Soda. Each load uses 1-2 tbsp. I am hoping that because the ingredients are hypoallergenic, it will help B with his dermatological issues. Also it will be interesting to see how long this last in comparison to a jug of soap.

Top 11 of 2011

This is a much needed list of my favorite things of the year!

1. Tom's Shoes.
 Not only are these shoes comfortable, but they are flat so I can wear them to work and not worry about squishing little fingers. This is the pair I received for Christmas and I cannot wait to show them to my preschoolers next Tuesday. Tom's also donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair that is purchased and that rocks.

2. Crayola Dry Erase Markers

I love these crayons because they write so smooth and they are easy for little people to wipe off. My preschoolers spend all day on the dry erase boards when I pull these out.

3. Gold Bond Baby Powder
We swear by this stuff in my house. At first sight of redness, we throw a few sprinkles on D and he is good to go.

4. Pinterest
Although other craft bloggers hate this site. I love searching for inspiration and ideas on making my life just a little more simple.

5.Coffeemate Peppermint Mocha Creamer
As with other mommies, I wake up hours before my family to ensure they are ready for the rest of the day. This creamer makes my 5 hours of sleep seem not as devastating.

6.Huggies Slip-On Diapers
D has been taking his diapers off since he was able to take a few steps. While I allow him to roam freely in the nude at our house, other places it is not acceptable. These are awesome for quick changes and he is beginning to pull them up in down as he prepares for the potty.

7. Boogie Wipes

These are soft saline wipes for baby's nose. D does not run from me when he sees me coming anymore. Also they smell delicious. 



8. Moon Dough

Moon Sand is so messy and play dough is great, but sometimes overdone. I love the soft texture of moon dough and the fact that it never dries out. It is a good alternative to playdough and you will not have to worry about someone putting the lid on it when you go to recess.

9. Thirty-One Large Utility Tote
My friend Shauna started selling Thirty-One and I knew I wanted this bag when I saw it. It is huge and helps me tote things back and forth from school. It is collapsable and holds a ton. I lucked out and got one for Christmas after I had already ordered one for myself. Click Here for a link to her site.

10. Mom's Weekly Planner I live out of this thing. It literally has something scribbled on everyday throughout the school year. This is my second year buying it.

11. Purex Laundry Sheets
I love being able to buy one item to take care of all my laundry needs. We go through about 12-20 loads of laundry a week and this one little item buys me an extra minute.

I really enjoyed writing up this list. I had to make sure I only put things on there that were totally awesome.



Gingerbread Playdough Recipe

Gingerbread Playdough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix together on medium low heat until it starts to unstick from the pan. Put it on wax paper and continue to knead it until it forms a big ball. Store in an airtight container.

Melissa and Doug 25% off coupon

My friends at school and my own children love Melissa and Doug products. Take the poll right here and get a 25% off your total order coupon emailed to you. It is valid from November 20-December 31st. I plan on stocking up on some more items for my Dramatic Play center.

Shopping List 11/13

Wow! The Christmas deals are starting. I always get overwhelmed with all the ads and coupons. I constantly have to remind myself that I don't have to catch every single deal out there.

Toys R Us- Lego sets are 25% off and you get a free lego miniature display case with a $60 purchase. Also in the newspaper ad today there is a coupon for a $10 gift card with a purchase of $75. My boys are super into legos this year and they are hard on the pocket book.

Target offering up an XBOX 360 for $199 with a $50 gift card with purchase. We are DEFINATELY doing this for the boys this year.

Michael's-Print your 40% off coupon here

Hobby Lobby-Print your 40% off coupon here

Toys R Us Coupons

With Christmas quickly approaching, I feel it is my friendly duty to keep my family and friends up to speed on my deals. Here are all the sweet new Toys R Us coupons.

Discounts for Educators/Homeschoolers

Last night while I was supposed to be returning pants to Old Navy, I ventured down the mall. Naturally I wandered into Books-a-Million to check out the clearance section. I picked out 5 awesome Thanksgiving books for my preschoolers and went to the checkout. It happened to be a day that I wore my staff shirt and the Manager asked if I new about their educator program. As frugal as I am you would think I would have knew that educators INCLUDING homeschool parents save 20% on books they are using for their classroom. Of course I signed up! I also decided to investigate the other places I can save money. Here is my list:

Books-a-Million- 20% off includes homeschool parents!

Michael's-15% off for teachers with an ID card

Joann's-Sign up here for 15% off every purchase as well as bonus coupons

Office Depot-Star Teacher Program off ink, toner, and paper Register here

The Container Store-Register Here for the Organized Teacher Program to get 15% off purchases

The Limited and NY & Co- 15% off with ID or Pay stub

Shopping List 10/23

There is so much going on with my family lately, but I still make time to craft!

Michael's has ribbon this week 3 for a $1 so I am going to stock up for Christmas. Also they have 24 inch pine wreaths at $5.99 each. You know I like to hang a wreath on every door in the house. Here are all the coupons for the week!

Hobby Lobby has been my favorite place to get crafts lately. It is so much bigger than Michael's and they have fabric! Spray Paint is 30% off this week and I need some fall colors. I love the small cans they carry!
I also need some felt as I am going to make some adjustments to the boys fabric bins in their room. Here is the 40% coupon for the week.

CVS is my candy store hook up for the week. We have lots of Halloween Parties and treat bags to fill. Candy is 4 for $7 after ECB's and there were tons of $1 off 2 coupons last week.

Cheap Baby Wipes

I also use Amazon to order our wipes. This morning I scored a 720 count box (10 packs) for $9.29. So you end up paying about 93cents per pack and it is shipped to your door. The cool thing about Amazon Subscribe and Save is that you are under no obligation to keep it. If you get the first shipment and decide you don't want anymore, log into your account and cancel it. 

See this post for Cheap Diaper FAQ.

Shopping List 10/9

Michaels- there are 2 great coupons for Michael's this week. This one for 50% off good for today and tomorrow and this one for 40% good for Tuesday though Saturday. Craft pumpkins are half off this week so I think I am going to grab some to embellish with sequins. Also I am using my half off coupon for black feather boas.

Hobby Lobby- Here is the 40% off any item for this week.

Target- Buy 2 Gillette Proglide razors and get a $5 gift card. These are $9.89 and if you use 2 $5 off coupons from last week's paper you will pay $4.78 after gift card.

CVS- Not crazy about this ad. I have $11 in Extra Care Bucks and I am on my last pack of the Buy 6 get 1 free promo so I am going to get an extra pack of diapers for D to take to school.

Walgreens- I only see more candy corn 2 for $2. I am going to try my hand at Homemade Butterfingers from here.

More Money Saving Opportunities for Christmas

A great way I get extra money is I have a Shop At Home and Ebates account. Any purchases I make through these websites give me a percentage back. I do the majority of my Christmas shopping online so I get a nice refund in February when my holiday purchases are taking a toll. If you sign up you will get an automatic $5 in your account.

I love that these websites also have special daily deals and sometimes they give you all your money back for certain purchases. I love free stuff!

Click Here for Shop at Home

Click Here for Ebates

Diaper Programs

Most people don't take the time to peel off the sticker that comes on the wipe packs, diapers, and pull-ups. I didn't do it when I had the first 2 boys and now wish I had. Huggies and Pampers both have reward programs that allow you to get toys, gift cards, free diapers and special discounts just by entering in these codes. They both work the same and just require you to enter in the special code found on the inside of diaper and wipe packs. This is how I get most of my gift cards (Applebee's, Dairy Queen, Sam's Club, etc). The prizes change often so make sure and check frequently.

Huggies Here

Pampers Here

All my friends need to do this to cash in on cool stuff!

Big Lots Friends and Family

I received an email with a link for 20% off your entire purchase at Big Lots on Sunday, October 9th. I think I am going to see if I can find some awesome baskets and craft junk for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here is the link if anyone else is bargain hunting this weekend.

Wise Investment

This is my favorite magazine because it offers tons of coupons as well as recipes, crafts, and fashion. Walmart is the only place that sells it, but you can also sign up for a subscription. It will pay for it's self with the coupons! If you do not buy it then you are missing out.

Dollar Tree Love

I have been trying not to overdo the decorations, but still make some cute and cheap things. I have been dragging C and D to local Dollar Trees to scope out the goods. I picked up some tall glass vases, a bag of spanish moss, skeleton garland and some bugs. I told my sister-in-law thay I wanted bones and she told me to just take some apart, so I did. These were cheap and I am filling them with other things for Thanksgiving.

Shopping List 10/2

I am ashamed to say that I did not pick up my 2 or 3 papers this morning for coupons and ads. I have been so busy with the family that I totally forgot. I also am totally lost in an awesome craft site that I found. It is all about cheap and cute crafts and my addictive personality cannot stop searching once I start. This is the site if anyone is interested : http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/

Also because I did not get my ads or coupons, I will be ordering my coupons from http://www.thecouponmaster.com/ . I have a paypal account that I receive money in for taking occassional surveys and it covers this clipping service when I forget to get a paper.

Homemade Applesauce

I followed through with my applesauce. I cut up almost a whole stockpot. Put in 1/2 cup of brown sugar, a cup of water and a little cinnamon. The kids loved it.

Shopping List 9/25

What do I need to craft this week?

Michaels: 40% off coupon here. I think I need some stock paper while it is 5 for $1 to mod podge on some letters for Halloween. Also I need some craft pumpkins while they are 40% off. (thanks Pinterest for all the ideas)

Hobby Lobby: 40% off coupon here . I am going to grab some hurricane glasses to fill with candles and candy corn. They are 50% off.

CVS: Physician's formula makeup is spend $10 get $7 back in extra care bucks and one of my eyeshadows dropped on the floor so I am going to scope out what they have.

Walgreens: I need more candy corn to finish a wreath. It is 2 for $2.00 after register reward. My boys keep eating the bags I buy.