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One Hundred Dollars a Month

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.


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Dealing With Life in the Dorms – Loud Noises and Night Owls

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Dealing With Life in the Dorms - Loud Noises and Night Owls

The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird called me this morning all upset because the people in her hall were up until 2:30 in the morning, being “so ridiculously loud” that her and her roommates could not fall asleep.  The girls have early morning classes, and they only got 3 hours of sleep last night.  Poor thing. 🙁  It kinda stinks when she has no control over the noise level in communal living.

I never lived in a dorm, so all I can really do is sympathize.  I mean, you’re basically thrown into a situation where early risers and night owls have to find a way to co-habitate peacefully.  Have any of your college students ever run across this problem?

In an effort to give The Girl and her friends some advice, I did a little digging.  Here’s what I came up with {I’m sharing it, just in case your student is having the same issue}:

  1. Accept that dorms are noisy, and find a regular quiet place to study.  The library is always a pretty good option.
  2. Buy earplugs.  Your new sleep routine might have to include earplugs–they might take a bit of getting used to, but so does communal living.
  3. Get bold and let your neighbors know–in the nicest way possible, of course.  Tell them you have an early morning class on Tuesdays {or whatever} and would they mind turning the music down after 10:00.  Assume most people aren’t doing things to be jerks, they just may not have realized.
  4. Be-friend your R.A.  They are there to make sure dorm life goes smoothly.  It’s what they signed up for, so if late night music or loud voices are keeping you up, and talking to the culprit didn’t help, you may have to seek their help.
  5. Use dorm living as a chance to get along with all personalities.  Some people are loud, some are night owls, some are reserved, some are tightly wound–no matter what category you fall into, you will spend the rest of your life having to get along with different personalities.  Consider dorm living a boot camp for getting along with others–even when you don’t like them one bit.

Okay peeps, now it’s your turn.  What are your best tips for The Girl and her roomies?  Let me know in the comments below.

~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.

Do You Know What Type of Plants These Are?

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evergreen crawling plant red berries

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time then you know I’m more of a vegetable gardener. Trees, shrubs and flowers are not my strong suit. Sure, I know how to plant them, but when it comes to identifying anything other than a boxwood hedge or anything other than my favorite perennial flowers, I’m pretty much at a loss.

So here’s the problem. The home we bought on the east coast is an older home. Even though it’s not jammed packed with oodles of bushes and trees, the ones that are there, I can’t identify. Or rather, I was hoping YOU could help me identify them so I don’t have to spend endless amounts of time researching. Call me lazy. 😉

So here we go.

Plant #1 {above} It’s some sort of crawling evergreen plant with red berries and there are clumps of it all over the backyard.

purple flowering tree

Plant #2 –> Crape Myrtle!! Wahooo! I LOVE this. 

We’ve got a  20 foot tree along side the house with the most amazing purple flowers. It was pretty much done blooming by the time I snapped this photo but I would sure love to plant another one of these somewhere on the property. The tree has peeling bark.
day lilies

Plant #3

I think these are day lilies but I’m not sure. I mainly want to identify them so I can dig them up and give them away. 😉

barberry plant

Plant #4

I think this one might be a barberry plant but I’m not sure. Whatever it is, I’m not a fan. There are 4 of these right smack dab in front of the house and I want to remove them and plant a nice boxwood hedge in their place.

orange lilies in the garden

Plant #5

The property is littered with mounds of these orange flowers. I think they are day lilies as well and I plan to remove these too. Orange is great for pumpkins and squash, but when it comes to flowers, I’m more of a pink, purple and white kind of girl.
maple leaves

Plant #6

Anyone know what kind of tree this is? I like it.

salvia purple flowers

Plant #7

I think this is a salvia plant. There are several of these sprinkled around the property and I plan up digging them up and grouping them together at some point.

green and white grassPlant #8

Any last but not least, what the heck are these green and white striped grass plants? Does anyone know? I’m curious how tall they’ll get and how long they last. If they don’t get too big then I think I’ll move them and plant them over by the hosta plants alongside the house.

If you know what any of these plants, trees or shrubs are I would love to know.

Thanks in advance for your help,

~ 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.

Free Kindle Books, Gift Bags, Scarves, Ear Buds, Coupons, Recipes and More

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mornings with Mavis

Hello Tuesday!

School starts tomorrow and let me tell you Bob, I am ready to get back to my usual routine around here. How about you? Have you kids headed back already? I LOVE this time of year!

Have a great day everyone, I get to go to the dentist today to get a crown. Wish me luck.  Yee-Haw!

♥ Mavis

seahawks clothing

Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day – 30% Or More Off Select NFL Gear for the Family

free kindle books

Available Kindle Books I think are cool…

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! 🙂

earbuds

Amazon has JLab JBuds Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Ear Buds on sale $6.49- $6.75 depending on what color you choose. Go HERE to see all the choices.

recycled-wood-pallet-gardens-lettuce

My hands-down favorite place to grow lettuce! I love being able to line up the vegetables like little soldiers in my Wood Pallet Lettuce Garden. Find more info on pallet gardening on my Pallet Gardening Pinterest Board!

jasmati rice

Get a 4-Pack of  RiceSelect Jasmati Rice, 32-Ounce Jars $12.79 shipped when you clip the $5.00 off coupon and use the subscribe and save option at checkout. I love the size of the containers!

cat print scarf

Any crazy cat ladies out there? Amazon has a few lovely cat print scarves on sale:

vera bradly sale

If you are a fan of Vera Bradley you’ll wan to pop over to Zulily today and check out all the deals!

victorio food strainer

Wowza! Amazon has the Victorio VKP250 Food Strainer and Sauce Maker on sale for just $49.17 shipped! This is the lowest price I’ve ever seen on this. I love using mine to puree tomatoes for homemade sauce!

Logo300x250Fiverr is the one of my favorite sites ever. If you ever need anything graphic design related at all, they’ve got you covered for $5 a project. If you have a personal blog and you want a cute new header with fun pics of your family: $5. Want a picture retouched and made to look amazing: $5. A flyer logo for a PTA carnival: $5. A new logo for your small business: $5. It is seriously the most amazing site for frugally minded folks like us!

Check out Fiverr HERE and see what you can get for only FIVE DOLLARS!!

prevention magazine

Discount Mags is offering a 1 year subscription to Prevention Magazine for only $6.99 a year when you use code MAVIS at checkout. This deal will expire tonight 9/2/14 at midnight EST so be sure and grab your subscription before then.

baked-mozzarella-sticks-recipe

These Baked Mozzarella Sticks make for a great afternoon snack for the kiddos, and they’re way healthier than the fried version.  Get the recipe HERE or Pin for Later.

gift bags bulk

Check out these deals on gift bags:

lipton-tea-bags-coupon

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.

Weekly Meal Plan – Menu Plan Ideas Week 34 of 52

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menu plan ideasEven though I don’t make a weekly menu plan, I still love the idea of having a bunch of recipes right in front of me to choose from. Here are a few recipes from my recipe collection I thought you might like:

Raisin-Bran-Muffins-recipe

Breakfast Ideas 

Baked Eggs – These individually portioned eggs and bacon are a tasty spin on a classic combination.  {Pin for Later}
Apricot Tart – Picture it:  You sitting with a cup of coffee/tea and a DELICIOUS pastry, enjoying the end of summer weather.  {Pin for Later}
Healthy Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes – You won’t even taste the “healthy” in these pancakes, they taste like pure decadence.  {Pin for Later}
Raisin Bran Muffins – These babies are cheaper and way more satisfying than a bowl of raisin bran.  {Pin for Later}

freezer meals beef stewSlow Cooker  and Freezer Meal Ideas

Freezer Meal Beef Stew – You’ll be happy come this fall when afterschool activities are in full swing that you made this hearty stew and all you have to do is heat and eat.  {Pin for Later}
Freezer Meal Breakfast Burritos – I am telling you, these are awesome for high school/middle school aged kids.  They can heat and eat, which really cuts down on the morning rush.  {Pin for Later}
Asian Chicken With Ginger – This crock pot meal is always a hit with the whole family.  {Pin for Later}
Crock Pot Potato Soup – It’s almost time to dig up the taters, and what better way to use them than potato soup?  {Pin for Later}

Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and WalnutsSoups , Salads and Main Dish Ideas

Spicy Thai Chicken Kabobs – If you are planning a Labor Day BBQ, this chicken will be a total crowd-pleaser.  {Pin for Later}
Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Walnuts – This cold salad would go great with the BBQ’d chicken.  {Pin for Later}
Avocado Egg Salad – Please believe me when I tell you, this will rock your world.   {Pin for Later}
Spaghetti Casserole – I don’t think I know of a single kid that doesn’t love spaghetti casserole.  {Pin for Later}

Homemade-Granola-Bars1Cookies,  Snacks and Desserts

Zucchini Pizza Bites – If you are looking for a quick after school snack that is both healthy and a kid pleaser, give these a try.  {Pin for Later}
Homemade Granola Bars – These put store bought granola bars to shame.  {Pin for Later}
Old Fashioned Strawberry Ice Cream – This stuff just might make you say goodbye to Ben and Jerry’s forever.  {Pin for Later}
Carrot Cake with Coconut and Raisins – First off, there are carrots in this, so it is totally a health food.  Eat up.  {Pin for Later}

how-to-freeze-shredded-zucchiniFreezing Recipe of the Week

How to Freeze Shredded Zucchini – If you can’t keep up with the zucchini in the garden, now is the time to freeze it for breads and muffins throughout the winter.  {Pin for Later}

What are YOU planning on making this week?

~Mavis

Looking for more recipes? Check out my recipes boards on Pinterest

Also, be sure to check out:

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.

Mavis Butterfield Etsy