One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1052 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.

10 Things to Do in Memphis

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 16, 2014 · 10 Comments

Memphis is one of those iconic American cities. It houses so much by way of music culture–and a few years ago on my St. Jude or Bust trip, I had a chance to really check it out. If you ever get the chance to explore it, here are a couple of must-not-miss stops:

Graceland. Elvis is still alive and well in Memphis. Everyday, hundreds of tourists line up to walk through Elvis’s home, known as Gracaeland. The decor alone is worth the trip. It’s a hoot. Plus, you can see the letters/posters from thousands of still-devoted fans lined along the gates. It’s craziness.
Peabody Ducks. The Peabody hotel is famous for their daily duck show. Each day, you can watch the ducks parade around the very elegant lobby. What more can I possibly say? It’s Memphis, baby.
Beale Street. It really doesn’t matter, Monday through Sunday Beale Street is hopping with live music and BBQ.
Mud Island River Park. this park is free, and you can take a stroll along the Mississippi River.
Memphis Botanic Garden. Um, hello, have we met? Of course you know I am going to include a garden on my list of suggestions.
Memphis Zoo. This is a great stop if you have little ones. It’s certainly not the biggest zoo ever, but they do have a Panda bear, which is rad.
Elmwood Cemetery. Okay, call me nuts, but I LOVE walking through cemeteries. Memphis has soooo much history–it represents the good, bad, and ugly in our country.
Memphis Rock and Soul Museum. If you are a music fan, this is a must-stop museum
Slave Haven – This is the former home of the Burlke family, turned small museum. It was one of the stops for the underground railroad, and it is worth seeing.
Woodruff-Fontaine House. This is a mansion built in 1870 that is now open to the public as a museum. It is fully furnished and has mannequins dressed in 1870’s garb, making it a pretty cool little tour. Fair warning: there is a doll display that borderlines on creepy.

Have any of you been to Memphis? What is your favorite thing to do?

~Mavis

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How Much is Too Much to Spend on a Halloween Costume?

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 16, 2014 · 13 Comments

I’ve never been a big spender when it comes to Halloween. Candy, YES {because c’mon, who doesn’t want leftovers}, but as far as costumes go, my kids usually made their own {although I must confess we did go through a Disney period with The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird}.

Even though I never spent a boatload on costumes, my kids loved to dress up. They talked about what they wanted “to be” the entire month before Halloween–and truth be told, they continued to play dress-up with their costumes for months after. With hindsight, I really do kind of get the appeal of buying a costume.

I did some digging, because I was curious how much an average store-bought costume costs these days. ABC News found that the average price of a store bought costume is around $29.60. If you have more than one kid, that could add up pretty quickly. I know lots of people who bite the bullet once or twice, spend the money, and then on the in between years, do costume exchanges with friends. That seems like a pretty good compromise if you ask me.

Either way: purchased or made, dressing up is fun. In fact, I spotted this costume and about fell over. Are there really people out there who go all out like that?! If so, I kind of want to meet them.

What’s YOUR limit on Halloween costume spending?

~Mavis

What are your kids going to be this year? Here’s the top 5 trending store-bought choices for 2014 according to my good friend, Mr. Google:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle {I am guessing the recent movie caused a revival?}
Guardians of the Galaxy {Super hero fans can rejoice}
Frozen Characters {The latest characters to hit the Princess scene are Anna and Elsa–she’s all the rage in the 6 and under crown :)}
Transformers {These costumes are fully loaded, quite literally from head to toe}
Witch {Finally, a classic, not inspired by a movie}

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How to Store Winter Squash

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 16, 2014 · 7 Comments

Winter squash are like potatoes. If you store them right, they will seriously last you most of the winter–at least until you can get out and grow yourself some cool weather kale and spinach.

To ensure that you get the longest life out of your squash, start by picking it at the right time. The squash shouldn’t be wet at all, so don’t pick after the sprinklers have come on or after a rain. Cut the squash from the vine, instead of pulling it. That way, you won’t accidentally break off the stem too close to the squash, causing a blemish that will speed up rot. Also, make sure to pick it before the nighttime temperatures dip into the 40’s. Don’t let the name fool you, winter squash does not like it to be too cold.

The first step in storing winter squash is curing. Curing is basically a fancy word for leaving the squash out somewhere warmish with good air circulation and ignoring for a week and a half to two weeks. Curing helps make sure any excess water leaves the squash and makes it taste better long term.

Some people like to give their squash a quick diluted bleach bath before storage. It helps to kill any fungus or bacteria on the squash. If you do decide to give your squash a bath, dilute it 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Rinse well after the bath and dry completely before storing. This step is completely optional.

Winter squash are happiest when stored at about 55 degrees. If you have a root cellar, well, then I’m jealous. If you don’t, your best bet is going to be a basement or garage. They need to be completely dry throughout storage, so either keep them up on a shelf or in a box, where water from melting snow off of the cars, etc. can’t get to them.

Depending on the type of squash you are storing {acorn has the shortest shelf life, while blue hubbard has one of the longer shelf lives}, it will last anywhere from 4 weeks to 7 months.

What’s the longest you’ve successfully stored a winter squash?

~Mavis

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Free Kindle Books, Serta Mattress Deals, Halloween Ideas, Recipes, Coupons and More

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 16, 2014 · 5 Comments

It finally feels like fall. The leaves are falling like crazy, the temps are dropping and let me tell you Bob, I can practically smell the hot cocoa and fresh apple cider. It’s my favorite time of year!!!

How about you? Are you a fan of fall too?

♥ Mavis

Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day – Up to 67% Off Hitchcock Titles and 30% or More Off Philips Wake-Up Lights

Available Kindle Books I think are cool…

The Food Preserving Bible Free
The Best of Me $5.99
The Potluck Club Free
How to Pursue an Idea Free
Positive Discipline: 40 activities to encourage positive behavior Free
A Beginners Guide to Companion Planting Free
Halloween Fun – Scary – Spooky Fun For The Entire Family Free
He Just Needs To Be Loved Free
The Paperless Lifestyle Free {I need paper!!}
Japanese Cooking Made Simple $0.99
A Farmer’s Daughter: Recipes from a Mennonite Kitchen $1.99

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! 🙂

Get the 4 Pack of Kashi Chewy Granola Bar-Honey Almond Flax for just $8.34 shipped when you clip the 24% off coupon and use the subscribe and save option at checkout.

Learn About Amazon Subscribe and Save

Are you a candy corn fanatic like me? Then you’ll love my Easy Candy Corn Mason Jar! Find more cool projects on my Halloween Pinterest Board.

A few deals for fight night:

Black Feathered Small Halloween Crows $8.99
Peep n’ Peepers Flashing Eyes Halloween Lights $12.22
Pressure Sensitive SCREAMING DOORMAT $21.25 {Great reviews and only a few left!}

Amazon has the Portable Folding Solar Charging Kit for iPads, iPhones, Tablets, Phones or Anything with a USB Connection for $49.99 shipped {reg. $149.99}. It makes a great addition to any emergency kit, when the power is out, you can charge your electronics using the sun.

Any Starbucks fans out there? 😉 Join My Starbucks Rewards and sign up to receive email rewards, and you’ll get a free drink. It’s that easy. {I just did this}. Wahoooo!

This Black Cat Self Defense Key Chain would make a great little stocking suffer or gift tag tie on for someone who has to walk to their car at night. Only $2.59 shipped! The pink version is $3.30 shipped.

Easy Costume Ideas:

Skeleton Bone Skull Leggings Tights $6.68 shipped
Digital Printed Tank Tops $9.09 shipped

Did you know you can Pre-Order Season 5 of Downton Abbey right now?! Yes.You.Can.{This title will be released on January 27, 2015}

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!

Looking for a new mattress? Check out these deals:

Serta Perfect Sleeper Harcourt Twin Firm Mattress $244.18 DELIVERED
Serta Perfect Sleeper Beaufront Firm Mattress, Full $481.88 DELIVERED
Serta Perfect Sleeper Harcourt Cal King Firm Mattress $336.28 DELIVERED!

See more Mattresses Deals

Vitacost is having a B1G1 1/2 Off Sale with FREE shipping on orders of $49 or more. Go HERE to check out the sale. If you have never ordered from Vitacost before, go HERE to get a $10 off any $30 purchase coupon code.

This Black Bean Quinoa Salad is one of my favorite ways to serve quinoa. I try to make a big batch so I have some leftovers, because it’s perfect for lunch the next day {or anytime you happen to be passing the fridge!}. Get the recipe HERE or Pin it for Later.

REI Outlet Deal of the Day – Coleman Contoured Sleeping Bag $24.73 {was $49.99} Sleep comfortably during mild spring, summer and fall car-camping adventures with the Coleman Contoured Sleeping Bag.

The Epic REI Garage Sale is happening this weekend, October 18th, 2014 at most REI Stores. Don’t miss out!

Get a 1 year subscription to Family Circle Magazine for just $4.49!

Check out these New Printable Coupons:

Find More Printable Coupons

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.