One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1047 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.

How I Bartered My Mad Painting Skills for a $100 Starbucks Gift Card

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 21, 2014 · 10 Comments

Word on the street is I like to paint. I honestly have no idea how this {misleading} information got out, but apparently it has and in the past 5 days I’ve been asked by 2 different people if I would come over and paint a few rooms in their homes. And yes, these are both able bodied people.

This should be a lesson to us all NOT to post pictures on Instagram of us painting our kitchens because no sooner than it pops up in your friends news feed, your phone won’t stop ringing.

But hey, it’s not like I have anything else to do right now, right? 😉

So when Mrs. Hillbilly asked if I would paint her daughters room, my mind started churning out questions like:

1. Why don’t you paint her room? {She didn’t want to. Plain and simple}

2. How much did you say the Painter Man was going to charge? {$500}

3. Did that include paint and supplies {Yes}

4. Does your washer and dryer work? {Yes}

5. Can I bring my {sneaky} dog? Really, she’s no trouble at all. {loooong pause}. 😉

6. Okay, I’ll do it for a $100 gift card to Starbucks. {Because getting paid cash is no fun}.

So yesterday I loaded up the back of my car with 3 loads of laundry, Lucy the puggle trouble and headed back to my old neighborhood to paint Mrs. HB’s daughters bedroom and bathroom. It took me about 6 1/2 hours and she even made me a turkey sandwich {how sweet}.

While I masked off the walls and rolled on two coats of paint {bright colors can be tricky!} Mrs. HB painted her daughters bedroom furniture black {instead of buying something new} and by the end of the day we had caught up on the latest gossip and was able to spend some productive time together.

Bartering your time for something frivolous is fun. Especially when it involves an unlimited supply of hot cocoa and tea. Well, at least until the gift card run out that is…

~Mavis

Whats this best thing you’ve bartered for lately?

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Free Kindle Books, Little Black Dress Sale, Magazine Deals, Win Free Berries for a Year and More

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 21, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Living in the Seattle area is a blast this time of year. Sheesh, I though my house was going to wash away last night with all the rain we had. Water is cool and all, but holy buckets man, enough is enough.

If it’s raining in your neck of the woods today, hopefully you can stay dry.

♥ Mavis

Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day – Select Step 5-Feet to 8-Feet 300-Pound Duty Rating Adjustable Step ladder $168 shipped. So far 2 contractors have used this type of a ladder in the last 3 weeks working on our house. So apparently, it’s awesome possum!

Today only, save up to 40% on select Remington shaving & hair removal products

Available Kindle Books I think are cool…

Farm-To-Table Dinner Recipes Free
Medicine Men: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring $0.99
Food: A Love Story $10.99 {I am totally getting this on audio book!}
The Elephant Who Wanted To Be A Bee Free
Depression: My Battle Free
Weird Little Words that Win Word Games Free
Good Eating’s Creative Pasta Free
Mason Jar Meals 21 Recipes Free

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! 🙂

I get that the ingredients in a frosted sugar cookie remain the same regardless of how they are decorated, but I swear they taste better when they are all decorated up for Halloween! Check out my Halloween Frosted Sugar Cookies HERE. Find more cool projects on my Halloween Pinterest Board.

6pm is having a great sale on little black dresses, here are just a few of my favorites

XOXO Palermo Tie Front Peplum Sheath Dress $24.99 shipped
BB Dakota Morgan Dress $26.25 shipped
London Times 3/4 Sleeve Neck Inset Waist $44.99 shipped
Jessica Howard 3/4 Rhinestone Cuff Sleeve Portrait Collar Dress $59.99 shipped

See All Little Black Dresses

My 3 favorite magazines are on sale!!! Grab a couple of these for gifts this winter!!

Garden and Gun Magazine $4.50 a year when you use code MAVIS at checkout.
Urban Farm Magazine $8.99 a year when you use code MAVIS at checkout.
Hobby Farms Magazine $9.99 a year when you use code MAVIS at checkout.

These deals will expire Wednesday, October 22nd at midnight EST.

Check out these great deals on garden goodies I spotted:

Luster Leaf Rapiclip Natural Twine in Dispenser Can $6.43 {I love the dispenser!}
G & F Women’s Garden Gloves, 6 Pair Pack, assorted colors $10.75
Chaney Instrument 5-Inch Capacity Easy-Read Magnifying Rain Gauge $7.04
Fiskars Traditional Bypass Pruning Shears $11.97 {I own these and they work great!}
Fiskars Ultra Light Kneelers Knee Pads $8.64
Gardman 4-Tier Mini Greenhouse $39.51 shipped
Good Ideas 7-Cubic-Foot Compost Wizard Jr. $110.59 shipped
Easy Gardener Weed Block Landscape Fabric – 3-Foot x 50-Foot $18.60
Gorilla Carts 600-Pound Capacity Cart $69.00 shipped!

Enter to win the Driscoll’s Berrylicious Grilled Cheese Sweepstakes for your chance to win a Breville Sandwich Grill and Berries for a Year. Wahooo! I just entered.

Enter by October 27th, 2014. One entry per person and one winner will be notified by email a week after contest ends.

These Blackberry Ricotta Scones are so good right out of the oven. Or cold. Or at midnight. Or, well, anytime. Get the recipe HERE or Pin it for Later.

Stock up and save on these deals:

24 Giant Rolls of Sparkle Paper Towels $21.71 shipped when you clip the $1.00 off coupon and use the subscribe and save option at checkout.
48 Angel Soft, Double Rolls of Toilet Paper $19.89 shipped when you clip the $1.00 off coupon and use the subscribe and save option at checkout.
366 Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths $12.24 when you clip the $2.00 off coupon and use the subscribe and save option at checkout.
90 Count 13 Gallon Glad Tall Kitchen Drawstring Trash Bags $13.07 shipped when you use the subscribe and save option at checkout.
120 Count U by Kotex Barely There Thin Liners, Unscented $5.10 shipped when you clip the $2.00 off coupon and use the subscribe and save option at checkout.

If you are an Amazon Prime Member or have Amazon Mom, you can save up to 20% on Subscribe & Save items when you place 5 or more orders in a month. 🙂

Amazon has the Tree Face Spirit with Pipe Plaque on sale for $10.95. These are so much fun! Our neighbor has one on his tree and it makes me smile every time I see it.

I ordered these 3D Butterfly Wall Stickers for my daughter and her roommate’s dorm room a few days ago and I couldn’t stop thinking about them, so I ordered myself a set too for just $3.99 shipped because butterflies are RAD! 😉

For a limited time, Save up to 50% off off Bath and Body Products from The Body Shop. Shower Gels are just $4.00 and Body Butters only $10.00! Shop the Sale.

Sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite…

Blue Mueller Ice Bag $6.48
IMAK Eye Pillow $12.99 {My favorite eye pillow for puffy eyes}
Sunbeam Heating Pad with UltraHeat Technology $12.99
Clara Clark Premier 1800 Series 4pc Bed Sheet Set {Queen} as low as $22.19
2 Pack Perfect Fit Firm Density Quilted Sidewall Pillow $24.99
Pinzon Overfilled Ultra Soft Microplush {Queen} Mattress Pad $55.99 {We have this and it ROCKS!}

Check out these New Printable Coupons:

Find More Printable Coupons

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Freezer Meal – Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 20, 2014 · 6 Comments

You know how you take a thing you love {chili} and add just one little ingredient {pumpkin} and it changes everything. Well that just happened. This black bean and pumpkin chili is AH-Mazing. It’s really seasonal {pumpkins are all the rage this month!} and perfect for those cold fall nights. Plus, as a freezer meal, it’s really quick to prepare and serve.

Ingredients

2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium sweet yellow peppers, chopped {How to freeze peppers}
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
4 {15 oz} cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3 lbs ground beef, cooked and drained {I used Zaycon Beef}
2 {15 oz} cans pumpkin puree {How to make pumpkin puree}
2 {14.5 oz} cans diced tomatoes, undrained
4 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
4 teaspoons chili powder
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
In a large skillet, saute the onion and yellow pepper in the olive oil for about 2 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Transfer the mixture to a large slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3.

To freeze, let chili cool completely and then divide and transfer to freezer bags {check out how I freeze my sauces and soups} or storage containers. When ready to serve, remove bag from freezer and thaw. Heat on stovetop or microwave until heated through. Enjoy.

Looking for more easy freezer meals? Check out my Freezer Meals recipe index. My favorite Crock Pot – Crock-Pot Cook’ N Carry 6-Quart Portable Slow Cooker My Favorite Slow Cooker Cookbook – Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes!

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10 Ways to Make Your Produce Last Longer

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 20, 2014 · 2 Comments

Food waste is a bummer. Even more of a bummer is wasting your hard earned money by having produce go bad before you have a chance to use it. Properly storing produce is key when it comes to getting the longest life out of it. Here’s a couple of tips to keep your produce fresher longer:

Keep your fridge clean. Mold spores from aging food don’t discriminate between that 5 day left-over casserole and your newly purchased cucumbers. Keeping the fridge clean will keep those spores at bay.
Keep fresh food away from your oven/stove. If your bananas are hanging near a heat source, especially if you have a gas stove, it increases the amount of ethylene gas and sends the ripening process into hyperdrive.
Potatoes and apples will help each other out. Apples slow down the sprouting process on potatoes.
Wrap your lettuce in a paper towel and change it frequently. Moisture will ruin a head a lettuce lightening fast. The paper towel will absorb excess moisture.
Clean produce with 1 part vinegar and 10 parts water. It’s a great all-purpose fruit and veggie cleaner, plus it removes mold spores which will buy you a couple of extra days at least.
Store your ginger in the freezer. It will last for basically ever and it is super easy to peel and grate when it is frozen.
If you know you won’t be able to get to fruits/veggies in time, consider chopping and freezing them for health packed smoothies {HERE are some of my favorite smoothie recipes}.
If you have excess herbs or know you won’t use them in time, try freezing them in olive oil.
Bananas will last longer if you wrap them in plastic wrap.
Some fruits produce more ethylene gas than others, so it’s best not to store them with more sensitive fruits and veggies. Here’s a quick list of the worst offenders: apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupes, honeydew, kiwis, mangoes, nectarines, papayas, peaches, pears, plums, and tomatoes. They will make produce like apples, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, green beans, etc. go bad much, much faster.

What is your BEST tip for lengthening the life of your produce?

~Mavis

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.