One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1166 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 Great Family Movies for Summer

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on June 27, 2014 · 9 Comments

With the kids home for the summer, by the end of the week, you may be looking to melt into the couch. At least, that’s how I remember feeling when the kids were younger. If you need a little downtime, but still want to make it family friendly, I totally recommend a family movie night.

We started this tradition when the kids were younger, and as you know, to this day, The Girl and I still do our Friday Night Movies. I figure most kids have seen all of the recent movies, so I chose some older {I’m going to call them classics} that might be fun to watch.

Here’s my top 10:

Parent Trap {the new and the old one}. The kids will get a kick out of watching the same story set in different eras.
Goonies. This is a cult classic. Plus, whenever my kids say something I can’t understand, I just say “Boobie twapped, that’s what I said,” and they totally know they need to repeat whatever they said. It’s one of those movies that is part of our family dialect.
Freaky Friday. This is another one that has a new and old version. Watch them both, but I’ll warn you, the first is better.
The Princess Bride. This is a must. Plain and simple. It will be “love, trew love” I promise. In fact, if you haven’t watched it with your kids, stop whatever you are doing right now and make it happen.
The Muppet Movie. Okay again, they have redone this one, but stick to the 1979 version. It captures the magic of the Muppets.
Where the Red Fern Grows. If your kids haven’t read the book, you may want to require it first, but seriously, this movie will make you cry. Every. Time.
Old Yeller. I have a new appreciation for this one now that we have Lucy. It’s basically about a boy and the love he has for his dog.
Swiss Family Robinson. What’s not to love about a family making the most of being stranded on a deserted island?
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. This is a must if you have boys. They will spend the next week outside recreating the movie over and over. It totally fuels their imagination.
The Adventures of the Wilderness Family. This is a little more obscure suggestion, but totally worth it. It’s based on a true story about a family tired of the city bustle who move to Colorado to homestead. It’s awesome–if you’re into that sort of thing, and I am.

I could probably think of a ton more that we’ve watched over the years, but these are kind of the “classics” that come to mind.

What are some of YOUR favorite family movies?

~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.

How to Eat Healthy While on Vacation

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on June 27, 2014 · 3 Comments

Vacations are all about experiencing new things and taking a break from the day-to-day realities of life. The downside to vacationing is that you can easily justify eating your weight in cookies for breakfast…because “you’re on vacation.” If, by some crazy chance, you are hoping to still fit into your pants when you return home, here are a couple of tips to help you eat healthy and still enjoy what your destination has to offer:

Pack snacks. Snacks can be the downfall of any vacation. Gas stations and airports leave A LOT to be desired as far as healthy choices go. Eliminating the unhealthy calories you consume mindlessly on the car ride or plane ride will probably cut down significantly on vacation bulge.
Hit the grocery store the second you get to your destination. Grab some nuts, seeds, fruits, etc. to store in the hotel room.
Pick one meal to splurge on. For example, if you commit to a healthy breakfast and lunch, you can go wild at dinner without the guilt of the cheeseburger, fries, and shake from lunch hanging over you.
Eat only 1/2 of your meal. Restaurants offer obscene portion sizes, when your meal comes, immediately ask for a box {or split it with someone else} and box up half. You can always take it back to the hotel mini-fridge. On day three when you are dog-tired, you can come back and eat it while watching a movie in your room. It will feel like a luxury.
Don’t be afraid to ask restaurants if they can “customize” your meal. For example, exchanging a side of fries for a side salad with the dressing on the side, or veggies without butter, etc.
If you don’t have a splurge meal, plan one treat a day. That way, you can still enjoy the local pastry or ice cream shop without worrying.
Order water. Vacationing means eating out…a lot. Resist ordering soda with your meal {even if it comes with your meal} and just get water. Soda adds a stupid amount of calories for nothing.
Download a calorie tracking app while on vacation and commit to entering your choices BEFORE you order them. Sometimes just seeing the nutritional profile is enough to deter you.
Refuse the free bread, chips, etc. that comes to the table when you sit down. I know, refusing bread is almost criminal, but the pre-dinner munchies can add a lot of calories to your meal.
Order extra veggies. Veggies are sometimes hard to come by at restaurants unless you specifically order them. Forego the potatoes and ask for a double veggies instead. Aim for 5-7 servings each day of vacation and they will help to fill you up so that gorging yourself on cupcakes is a little less tempting {in theory anyway–I’ve never actually met a cupcake I’m too full for}.

How do you eat healthy on vacation? Is it hard for you to stay on the straight and narrow, or is it just habit for you now?

~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.

Rare Sighting : Husband in Garden. Please Alert the Authorities. Something is Amiss

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on June 27, 2014 · 14 Comments

I spy with my little eye, the HH picking berries. Wait. What?? How can this be?

Apparently the man is willing to pick for his ~~dinner~~ dessert. Remember that strawberry shortcake I made? Well a the HH has been pining for one for months and last night he finally hit the jackpot because we’ve got strawberries coming out of our ears these days.

And look at this. He even helped me pick peas! Holy cats. What’s got into the guy? The only time he ever steps foot into the garden is when he walks past it on the way to mow the grass.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS MEANS?

Maybe he’s a gentleman farmer at heart but just doesn’t know it yet. 😉

Have you checked on your tomatoes lately? How are they doing? All of ours are still green, but they are getting bigger each day and pretty soon here we are going to be in tomato heaven with our 20 or so tomato plants.

I don’t know about you, but I am counting down the days until I can scarf down bowls of fresh homemade salsa morning, noon and night.

And the flowers. They are in bloom everywhere.

Yesterday The Girl and I picked Shasta daisies, pink foxglove and blue hydrangea flowers.

I LOVE this time of year!

What are YOU harvesting from your garden this week?

Mavis wants to know.

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.

Memory Cards, U by Kotex, Pizza and Potholders, Solar Showers, Mary Janes and More

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on June 27, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Everyday is a treasure hunt for Lucy the Puggle Dog. Yesterday we spotted 3 bunnies, 2 robin’s nests and a tiny nest of mice by the park. It used to be that I could take her for a quick 10 minute walk, but now days they seem to last a half an hour or more. Holy cow, no wonder she takes so many naps. 😉

Have a great weekend everyone, get some rest and stay out of trouble,

♥ Mavis

Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day – Up to 70% Off Select Sony Memory Cards, USB Flash Drives, and USB Drives for Smartphones

Check out these Kotex Deals:

U by Kotex Barely There Thin Liners, 120 Count $5.10 shipped when you clip the $2.00 off coupon and use the subscribe and save option at checkout.
U by Kotex Click Regular Tampons, 36 Count $4.63 shipped when you clip the $2.00 off coupon and use the subscribe and save option at checkout.
U by Kotex Cleanwear Ultra Thin Regular Pads with Wings, 36 Count $5.10 shipped when you clip the $2.00 off coupon and use the subscribe and save option at checkout.

July is right around the corner and now is a good time to pick up the Weekend Homesteader: July By Anna Hess {I love this series!}

For those of you who are new to Weekend Homesteader, this series walks you through the basics of growing your own food, cooking the bounty, preparing for emergency power outages, and achieving financial independence.

They’re baaaack! My favorite Traverse Bay Dried Cranberries {4 pound box} are back in stock and on sale for just $17.09 shipped when you use the subscribe and save option at checkout. Learn About Amazon Subscribe and Save.

Or make your own with the help of these tools:

RSVP World Class Pizza Cutter $9.95
Pizza Wheel $11.99 {Awesome ratings}
Wilton Perfect Results Ceramic Pizza Stone $16.72
Ironwood Gourmet Acacia Wood Pizza Peel $2.00
Lodge 14″ Cast Iron Pizza/Bake Pan $43.97

If your pot holders are looking a bit ragged, Amazon currently has a set of 3 DII Terry Potholders on sale for only $6.60 and there are 6 colors to choose from.

These Homemade Laundry Detergent Tabs are so awesome, I’ll never buy them again. You can make them at home or Pin it for Later.

Amazon has the Seattle Sports Solar Camp Shower 5 Gallon Capacity on sale right now for $14.99. We’ve used these in the past before during the hot summer months and they work great. Fill it in the morning, hang it up, and by early afternoon you’ve got a nice warm shower.

REI Outlet Deal of the Day – Jambu Formosa Mary Jane Shoes $48.73 {was $109}

Deals on Manicure and Pedicure Supplies

12 Colors Beads for Manicures or Pedicures $2.86 shipped
2400 Crystal Gemstones in 12 different shapes and sizes $1.83 shipped
30Pcs Mixed Colors Rolls Striping Tape Line Nail Art $2.34 shipped
15 Piece Nail Art Painting Pen Brush Set $2.84 shipped

Discount Mags is offering a 1 year subscription to Elle Decor Magazine for only $4.50 a year when you use code MAVIS at checkout. This deal will expire tonight 6/27/14 at midnight EST.

Have you made homemade apple chips before? They are totally easy and so good. Get the directions HERE or Pin it for Later.

Got an iPad? Groupon has the Targus Slim Case with Stylus Holder for iPad 2, 3, and 4 in Blue or Red for just $4.99. Now that sounds like a great price!

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.