One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1016 of 2143 - I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

And Then Lucy the Puggle Dog Barfed on the New Sofa

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By Mavis Butterfield on November 19, 2014 · 24 Comments

Having a dog is a lot like having a 3 year old.

They follow you everywhere, whine when they’re bored, hungry, or want to go outside and they also throw up everywhere. Your car, bed, carpet, your brand new couch.

A lot people would flip out if this happened. But really, it’s just a couch. Yes, it’s a brand spankin’ new only been in our house 18 hours kind of couch, but still, at the end of the day, it’s just an object. And I love my dog more than any object I could buy in a store.

Plus, it can be cleaned. The joy that Lucy the trouble puggle brings me is worth so much more than the little hiccups that happen along the way.

Stuff happens. If you let an animal or a person into your home, BE KIND. We all have bad days, and nobody is perfect.

Just keep that in mind next week when your relatives come over for Thanksgiving and they break one of your favorite wine glasses, or one of their kids runs through your home at top speed with a fistful of markers.

~Mavis

*As I rounded the corner and noticed Lucy’s mess on the couch, I immediately thought of the passage in the Last Lecture Dr Pausch at around 6:07 minutes.

I first heard the talk a few years ago and since then the talk has really put a lot of things in perspective for me. It’s a great talk, and you should listen to the whole thing when you have the chance.

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12 Goals for the New Year Week 46 of 52

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By Mavis Butterfield on November 19, 2014 · 2 Comments

I came up with 12 goals I’d like to accomplish this year with the hopes of being able to cross one off my list per month to make them more manageable. I thought a great way to hold myself accountable to the things I want to accomplish this year would be to do a weekly update.

After all, we all need a little help staying motivated sometimes. Here’s how I am doing so far:

1. ~~Clean, de-clutter and organize my entire home in 30 days or less~~. – So far this year I cleaned my closet, organized my kitchen, decluttered my bathroom, organized my office, gutted the garage, and tackled the laundry room. But that was at the old house. Bit by bit I’m getting there! My goal is to have this room cleared out my friday morning so the carpet guy can stretch the carpet a wee bit.

2. ~~Fit into the same jeans I wore 8 years ago when we moved into our {now old} house~~. Mission Accomplished!

I’m not sure if it was because of the It Works Ultimate Body Applicator {I wrapped twice} or working as Chino the Handyman’s sidekick for the past month, but the muffin top is gone. Let’s hope she doesn’t come back!

3. ~~Travel.~~ So far this year I have been to Boston, London, Paris, Portland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina,Virginia and Victoria B.C. Anyone want to guess where I’m headed next?

4. Send my daughter to college without having a nervous breakdown thus spending a week in bed sobbing. The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird is feeling much better after being sick last week. While I was in Costco the other day I spotted Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella by Jan Brett and rushed home and ordered it for her. Amazon Prime rules people, seriously it does. It makes sending little care packages and treats a breeze to college students. It should arrive today, I hope she likes it. 🙂

5. Get 3 new teeth. – Oh.My.Word.

So, I was snacking on a homemade granola bar over the weekend when all the sudden I noticed a GIANT CHUNK OF MY TOOTH was gone. It NEVER ends people. I am fairly certain that by the time I’m done getting all my teeth repaired, the money spent would be the equivalent of a new car. It’s insane. Really, it is.

6. ~~Pay off my car~~. Done!

I’m pretty sure the Volvo wagon was the best car that was ever invented and Lucy loves looking out the back window.

7. ~~Finish this primitive folk art rug I started 4 years ago~~. Finished! It took me 6 months but I’m done.

I’m working on a second one and I hope to have it finished by Thanksgiving. Which means of course I’ll be sitting on the couch all weeekend finishing it up! Perfect timing if you ask me.

8. Do something together as a family ever Sunday. Last weekend we raked leaves, trimmed branches and cleaned up the garage a little. It was the stuff dreams are made of. 😉

9. ~~Secret Plan #1~~ – ~~Sell our house~~. It felt like it took us forever, but we were finally able to downsize both our home and yard and let me tell you Bob, it feels good. Really, really good.

10. ~~Secret Plan #2 Buy a smaller house.~~ Done!

11. Secret Plan #3 – Working on it. 😉

12. ~~Convince the HH we should buy a Salt Box Style House in Colonial Williamsburg~~. Done! We didn’t buy a house in Colonial Williamsburg, but I did find us a vacation house on the east coast and we LOVE it.

13. Spend at least 1 hour a day working in my garden. On the agenda this week: finish cleaning up the yard, chop down a few more rhodies, and plant a few more bulbs.

So there you have it, my goals for the new year.

How about YOU? How are your 2014 goals coming along?

~Mavis

P.S. YES, I know I wrote down 13 goals. I’m fairly certain I won’t be able to attain one of them. {gee, I wonder which one?} But I wanted to add it in there anyway because I believe in miracles.

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Free Kindle Books, Sherpani Bags, TOMS Ponchos, Dr. Who, GoVert Planter, Recipes, Coupons and More

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By Mavis Butterfield on November 19, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Our couch arrived yesterday {4 weeks early!} and let me tell you Bob, it’s nice to be able to sit on something other than a kitchen chair or bar stool. The funny thing is, I thought I ordered a brown couch, not a grey one. But I’m not complaining, because it goes PERFECTLY with the fireplace and bar stools in the kitchen. Ha!

Funny how things work out, isn’t it?

Have a great Wednesday everyone,

♥ Mavis

Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day – Up to 60% Off Top Cookware Sets $54.99 – $199.99

Amazon Bonus Deal of the Day – Rubbermaid 42-Piece Easy Find Lid Food Storage Set $14.99

Available Kindle Books I think are cool…

Farmhouse Classics – Pickles, Chutneys & Preserves Free
Diary of a Hoarder’s Daughter Free
Where Are They Buried?: How Did They Die? $2.51
Let’s Talk Turkey . . . And All the Trimmings $0.99
56 Breakfast Sandwich Recipes: $0.99
101 Christmas Jokes For Kids Free
The Mistletoe Promise $9.78
Mini Farming For Beginners Free
Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design $2.51

The prices on Kindle Books can change quickly, so grab them while you can. Don’t have a Kindle? Download the kindle app on your other devices. It’s easy! 🙂

Today only Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Rose’s Perfect Pie Plate is on sale for as low as $14.65 {and ship FREE with Amazon Prime}. There are 4 colors to choose from!

There’s no need to buy granite cleaner when you can use this 3-ingredient recipe: How to Make Your Own Homemade Granite Cleaner. Find more homemade cleaner recipes and cool projects on my DIY Pinterest Board.

I was so excited this morning when I spotted Sherpani Bags and Luggage on sale. I LOVE THIS BRAND! A few months ago I purchased the Sherpani Nau Vertical Messenger Bag for my laptop and it seriously the best laptop bag I have ever owned. The quality is excellent and well, it’s black {with a little grey!}. I picked up the Sherpani App Bag for my new “around town” purse. So excited!!! TODAY ONLY you can save an additional 10% off your order when you use code 6PMEU111920141013 at checkout.

Wahoooo! TOMS has a new limited edition collection for Target stores this year. The TOMS for Target Collection includes over 50 items, all under $50 including these totally RAD Women’s Ponchos for $28 {Yes, I totally just ordered the grey one for my daughter for Christmas!} Check out the entire TOMS Collection for Target. Weeee! I love shopping online.

Target also has Christmas Decor on sale today for 40% off as well.

This Kurt Adler Doctor Who Tardis Figural Ornament would be a great gift for a Dr. Who fan.

Zulily has the GoVert Vertical Planter Frame Kit as well as mushroom kits {cheaper than Amazon too!} a bunch of other cool garden stuff on sale today. 🙂 🙂 🙂

I used this same kit for my DIY Sedum and Succulent Living Wall Planter and it ROCKS!! If you are a gardener it’s the perfect gift for Santa {or UPS} to bring you for under your tree. I love mine. 🙂 New to Zulily? Go HERE to Sign Up.

Celebrate the holiday season at Chili’s with a special offer. Get a $10 free gift card with a $50 gift card purchase. I’m buying these as Christmas gifts and getting a little gift for myself while I’m at it! Head on over HERE to get your FREE $10 Chili’s gift card offer!

Discount Mags is offering a 1 year subscription to Eating Well Magazine for only $4.99 a year when you use code MAVIS at checkout. This deal will expire tonight 11/19/14 at midnight EST..

If you are looking for a vegetable alternative to the green bean casserole, this Broccoli Cranberry Salad w/ Feta and Almonds will do the trick. Get the recipe HERE or Pin it for Later.

If you still need a roasting pan for the big day, Amazon has the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Stainless 16-Inch Rectangular Roaster with Rack on sale for $32.00 today only {retail $110}.

Big Hero 6 (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD) is available for pre-order for $19.99 and ships Free with Amazon Prime. Don’t forget when you place a pre-order if the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and the end of the day of the release date, you’ll receive the lowest price. AWESOME! Pre-Order Big Hero 6.

Snag a Hot Wheels 9-Car Gift Pack to put under the tree for only $7.99. {Ships free with Amazon Prime!} Find more Hot Wheels Deals

Today ONLY save 50% off everything from Gymboree.com {including markdowns!} Wahoooo! Free shipping on all orders over $75. Time t stock up! Shop the Gymboree Sale.

Snag a Cents of Style Color-Blocked Knit Infinity Scarf + FREE Bangle Bracelets today only for just $9.95 shipped. These would make great teacher, hostess and teen/young adult gifts for girls/women. Shop Infinity Scarves.

Amazon currently has JLab JBuds Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Ear Buds on sale starting at $6.49. I have these for traveling on planes and they work great. Shop JLab JBuds.

Love the look of a French Manicure but can’t seem to get the lines just right? Now you can get 10 sheets of Nail Art Designs French, Chevron & Teardrop Nail Tip Guides Stickers for just $1.50 shipped and the reviews are great!

AmazonLocal has Great Wolf Lodge Deals for all across the county on sale right now. Pop on over HERE and find your local Great Wold Lodge to view the deals available. {Great Wolf Centralia, Wa is on sale for $209}

Check out these New Printable Coupons:

Find More Printable Coupons

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How Much Sugar Should We Be Eating?

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By Mavis Butterfield on November 18, 2014 · 15 Comments

Sugar is kind of becoming the new buzz word in the nutrition community. Have you noticed? Where people used to cut calories, now they are trying to limit their added sugar intake–and according to an article I just read, with good reason. Sugar contributes significantly to “heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and liver disease.” It offers basically nothing nutritionally, and takes the place in our stomachs of other things that we might otherwise eat–cupcake, broccoli, cupcake, broccoli? If taste were the only deciding factor, I think we know what would win…everytime. But, I think, in general, we are all kind of catching on that our sugar intake is out of control, the schools are cracking down on treats and tons of people I know are doing 30 day no-sugar challenges.

The article highlighted a new program called SugarScience. It’s a project aimed at educating people about hidden sugars that sneak into our daily diets without us really getting to enjoy them. They are everywhere–I imagine dressed in tiny ninja suits, just waiting to attack. The biggest culprit of excess sugar intake {no surprise here} are sugary drinks–sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, etc. Cut those out, and if you are an average American, you will have cut your sugar intake by 1/3. But, sugars are also hiding in foods, particularly processed foods.

So, how do we know HOW much sugar we can safely eat? Now, brace yourself and prepare to have your mind blown: adult males are only supposed to eat 9 teaspoons of added sugar a day, while women are only allowed 6 teaspoons. {BTW, added sugar means sugar not naturally occurring in the food–like fruits have sugars, but they aren’t being included in the added sugar problem.} Guess how many teaspoons the average American consumes a day? 19.5!!!

In one cup of the Cinnamon Chex cereal Monkey Boy had for breakfast {which, in reality, he did not measure out a cup, so it was probably a double serving} there are 8 grams of sugar. For the record, approximately 4 grams equals 1 tsp. So, saying he had two servings, he’s already had 4 tsp of sugar, just for breakfast.

So, here’s the deal: I love cupcakes, pies, pastries. I love them. I wish sugar really could be one of the major food groups–like Buddy the Elf. But, since it’s not, I am going to have to start counting how much excess sugar I eat above my allow 6 tsp. I know it’s over–and I am a little scared to see how over.

So, I say you keep track today and report back in the comments below–no shame, no judgement, it’s just for curiosities sake. {Really, I just want to know there are others out there with my same problems :)}

~Mavis

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