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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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Orange Peel Potpourri Recipe

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Orange Peel Potpourri Recipe

For Christmas this year, I am putting together a couple of batches of dried orange peel potpourri to give to neighbors and friends.  Then, all they will have to do is dump the back into some water to simmer–filling their whole house with holiday goodness.

save orange peels

Ingredients {recipe makes enough for one bag of potpourri}

Handful of Dried Orange peels
1/2 cup Rose Hips
1/2 cup Uva Ursi Leaves
2 Tbsp. Whole Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Tbsp. Allspice
2 Dried Apple Slices

cinnamon sticks

Directions

Add all ingredients to a bag.  When ready to get your smell on, dump the bag into a pot of water and simmer on the stove top.

Orange Peel Potpourri Recipe

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.

Holiday Tipping – The Down and Dirty

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Holiday Tipping - The Down and Dirty

The holidays bring a lot of gray areas when it comes to gift-giving and tipping.  I mean, if I tipped or gave a gift to everyone who helped me in any way during the year, I’d be broke…and exhausted.  Still, there a several people who keep me up and running–literally and metaphorically, and I like to show them a little love and appreciation.

Let me go on record by saying I think tipping varies a ton depending on where you live in the country {or outside of it}.  And while I am sure EVERYONE who performed a service for you {i.e. the garbage man, the postal carrier, UPS carrier, hair stylist, etc.} would love to receive a little monetary thank-you, I don’t think it’s possible or necessary to tip them all with money…or even a gift.

tippingSometimes I think expectations have gotten a bit out of control with the long list of people we are supposed to thank monetarily.  I mean, I don’t mean to go all Christmas with the Kranks here, but in general, I think we feel over-obligated to provide a gift to far too wide of a reach of people.  The point is to express your gratitude for the value they bring to your lives, and there a million ways to do that.

Here’s what I propose:  Start by making a list of people who help  you throughout the year.  Make it as long as Santa’s naughty and nice list, if you like.  Really dig in.  Then, go through and highlight the ones that made such a powerful impact that not acknowledging them would be a crime.  Those are the ones who should get a gift or a tip, in my opinion.  I would think outside of family, it is relatively small {unless you are a business owner or something along those lines}.  The rest should get a heart-felt thank-you/Christmas card.  Make it personal.  Make it sincere.

Now for the highlighted list:  The general rule of thumb with tipping during the holidays is to tip the equivalent of one full service.  So, if you are going to tip the babysitter, tip her the equivalent of one full evening out.  Some service providers can’t accept cash, but can accept baked goods, or gifts that total under $20 in value {this is the case for the Post Office}.  You’ll want to check company rules before you potentially put them into a pickle by throwing cash at them.

I think in most areas, a gesture still goes a long way; a plate of cookies or a giftcard for a free coffee both say thanks, without potentially breaking the bank.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but I don’t think anyone should feel obligated to tip if it isn’t in their budget.

How do you decide who to tip and gift during the holidays?  How you decide how much or what to gift?

~Mavis

photo credit photo credit

 

 

 

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.

Kindle Books, Food Dehydrator, Mentos, Folding Table and More

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fissureWord of the Day: Fissure Definition: Groove, crack, crevice, a narrow opening parting any substance Used in a sentence: A large fissure appeared in the hillside after the earthquake.

lucy the puggle dog

Well the power must have gone out last night because we awoke to our furnace making a strange buzzing sound around 3 am. Good times people, good times. I thought for sure it was a gonner but apparently it was just trying to kick start itself again because when the HH went out to check on it…. it started working again. Hooray for heat!

And internet. Yep. Internet access is pretty cool too. 😉

Have a great day everyone,

♥ Mavis & Lucy

*This deal post will be updated throughout the morning so be sure and check back for deals. 

crew neck sweater

Amazon Deal of the Day for 12/9/15 – Under $30 Gifts for Men Women and Kids

Some of my favorite deals

britax car seats

More Amazon Daily Deals for 12/9/15

Up to 40% Off Britax Car Seats

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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! 🙂

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Check out how you can get FREE 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime. Don’t forget you can try Prime for FREE for 30 days. Pretty cool if you ask me! Try Prime for free by heading HERE.

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Subscribe and Save Deals

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Subscribe and Save prices reflect a 15% discount for ordering 5 or more items in 1 month.

table

Hurry and grab the Work Smart Resin Multi-Purpose Table, 4-Feet Long for just $16.99. This ships FREE with Amazon Prime.

Homemade-Marshmallows-Recipe3You’ll need this Homemade Marshmallow recipe to pair with that Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe we told you about yesterday! Get the recipe HERE or Pin it for Later. Find more easy Christmas snacks on my Christmas Pinterest Board.

food dehydrator

Kitchen and Home Deals

smith goggles

REI Outlet Deal of the Day – Smith Electra Goggles $15.73 {was $40}

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Add on Items

*These are all Amazon Add-on Items and they will ship with qualifying orders over $25 and are eligible for free shipping on $25 orders with Amazon Prime {or will ship FREE on $35 orders without Prime}.

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curious george bookKids Stuff

christmas giveaway

Current Giveaways

knitted dog hat

Super Awesome Etsy Shop of the Day – AegeanDrawn where you’ll find Elf, Lion and Santa hats for dogs Want to have YOUR Etsy shop featured? Leave a comment HERE with the name of your shop.

zaycon fresh

Zaycon Fresh –  Take $10 off orders valued at $99 or more when you use the code SAVE10 at checkout

Check out their prices:

  • Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts$1.89/lb X 40.00 lbs | $75.60/case
  • Old Fashioned Boneless Applewood Smoked Ham$3.49/lb X 20.00 lbs | $69.80/case
  • Fresh 93/7 Lean Ground Beef Fresh $3.99/lb X 40.00 lbs | $159.60/case
  • Fresh 80/20 Ground Beef Fresh $2.99/lb X 40.00 lbs | $119.60/case
  • Premium Breaded Chicken Breast Fritters$2.79/lb X 20.00 lbs | $55.80/case
  • Whole Boneless Pork Tenderloin $2.99/lb X 16.00 lbs | $47.84/case
  • Boneless Center Cut Pork Loins $3.49/lb X 10.00 lbs | $34.90/case
  • Frenched Rack of Pork $3.99/lb X 16.00 lbs | $63.84/case
  • Fresh Hickory Smoked $3.79/lb X 36.00 lbs | $136.44/case
  • Pork Sausage Links $2.79/lb X 20.00 lbs | $55.80/case
  • Ribeye Steaks $9.99/lb X 14.00 lbs | $139.86/case

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.

The Best Biscotti Recipes

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One of my favorite gifts to give around the holidays is a cute coffee mug, a bag of coffee or a tin of tea and some homemade biscotti. All wrapped up, it make for the perfect combo of homemade and thoughtful. My biggest problem is figuring out which type of biscotti to make. My list of favorites is as long now as a child’s Christmas wish list. Here are my favorites:

Chocolate-Hazelnut-Orange-Biscotti

Chocolate Hazelnut Orange Biscotti – Make it.  Dip it in tea.  Shove it in your mouth shamelessly.  It’s easy as 1-2-3.  {Pin it for Later}

Almond Lemon Poppy Seed Biscotti

Almond Lemon Poppy Seed Biscotti –The lemon and almond combo might seem odd, but it works oh so well. Add in some poppy seeds and it takes it over the top. {Pin it for Later}

recipe cranberry pistachio cornmeal biscottiCranberry Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti – Don’t let the cornmeal throw you off–it actually works really well with all of the flavors.  And it tastes even better dipped in hot tea!  {Pin it for Later}

gingerbread biscotti recipeGingerbread Biscotti – Nothing says Tis the Season like some gingerbread flavor. Whip that flavor into some biscotti and it’s a slam dunk. {Pin it for Later}

Pumpkin BiscottiPumpkin Biscotti – A great way to use up that last bit of pumpkin puree you have sitting around after Turkey day. {Pin it for Later}

Savory Sun Dried Tomato BiscottiSavory Sun Dried Tomato Biscotti – Savory biscotti? Okay, so maybe not the best dipped in tea, but dipped in a side of marinara? YUM!  {Pin it for Later}

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