One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 748 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.

Make Your Own Rope Tug Toy For Dogs

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By Mavis Butterfield on September 3, 2015 · 7 Comments

If you have pets and love them nearly as much as I love Lucy, you probably know it’s tempting to spend hundreds of dollars into unnecessary toys and trinkets to keep them happy. But it doesn’t mean you have to stop making them happy, you just have to be smarter about it so you avoid spending hundreds of dollars on them.

There is a simple {and FREE!} way to make a fun toy for your dog. They are happy, you are happy and it won’t cost you a penny.

All you need is a few old t-shirts and the ability to braid. Easy peasy. Cut those old, tattered, unused t-shirts into strips, lay the strips out in groups {maybe by color if you want to get fancy}, twist them together and tie a knot at the top. Then braid the shirts and tie another knot at the bottom to finish.

This rope tug toy is Lucy the Puggle Dog approved!

~Mavis

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Free Kindle Books, Free Redbox Rental Code, Hanes Underwear and Tees, Sweet Deal on Paint and More

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By Mavis Butterfield on September 3, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Word of the Day: Extemporary Definition: Not prepared, on spur of the moment Used in a sentence: An exemporary address was demanded from every member present.

Happy Thursday everyone! The HH is talking the day off today to help with my long list of fall clean up chores. Fingers crossed we can get them all done and checked off the list {miracles can happen, right?}.

Have an AWESOME day,

♥ Mavis

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

Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day – Garmin nüvi 55LMT GPS Navigators System $99.99 shipped

Amazon Bonus Deals of the Day – 40% off Teva Shoes and 50% off NFL Apparel

Available Kindle Books I think are cool…

A Fall of Marigolds $9.99 {I’m reading this next!}
The Healthy Spiralizer Cookbook $0.99
How to Make Cheese Free
The Well-Crafted Mom Free
An Uncomplicated Life $12.99
American Challenge: Revolution, A New Nation Free
Confessions of an Unlikely Runner Free
How To Raise Backyard Chickens Free
The Wright Brothers $14.99

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! 🙂

Right now Amazon Prime members can get a 3-month FREE trial for Audible!!! {I like to listen to audiobooks while I garden.} With over 150,000 titles to choose from you’d be CRAZY to pass up this freebie. Listen with the FREE Audible app on your smartphone or tablet. Yee-Haw!

Amazon Subscribe and Save Deals

Maxwell House International Cafe-Style Beverage Mix Tub, Vanilla Caramel Latte, 8.7 Ounce $1.93 shipped with subscribe and save.
Velveeta Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes, 10.23-Ounce (Pack of 6) $7.75 shipped when you clip the 20% off coupon and use subscribe and save
Kashi GOLEAN Crunch! Cereal, Honey Almond Flax, 14-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 4) $9.96 shipped with subscribe and save
Walkers Shortbread Highlanders, 2count (Count of 24) $10.99 shipped when you clip the 20% off coupon and use subscribe and save
Kashi Cereal Bar, Ripe Strawberry, 7.2 Ounce (Pack of 6) $12.24 shipped with subscribe and save
Kodiak Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix, Butter Milk and Honey, 24 Ounce (Pack of 3) $12.72 shipped with subscribe and save
Old El Paso Refried Beans, Fat Free, 16-Ounce (Pack of 12) $12.75 shipped with subscribe and save
Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing , 1.5-Ounce Single Serve Packages (Pack of 60) $13.67 shipped when you clip the 20% off coupon and use subscribe and save
Nishiki Premium Rice, Medium Grain, 15-Pound Bag $14.35 shipped with subscribe and save

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

Get the Hanes Men’s 7-Pack of Briefs starting at just $7.16 and the Hanes Men’s Classics 6 Pack Crew Neck Tees starting at $12.99. Ships FREE with Amazon Prime.

Great deals on Bras

Women’s Plus Size Laced Comfort Strap Minimizer Soft Cup Bra $7.99
Maidenform Pure Genius Extra-Coverage Tailored Bra starting at $10.39
Maidenform Pure Genius Racerback Bra starting at $14.25
Olga Women’s Luxury Lift Bra starting at $18.33

Don’t throw those old crayons away! Check out How to Recycle Old Crayons. Find more cool projects on my Money Saving Tips Pinterest Board.

Thru 9/5/15 Macy’s has 3-Piece Comforter Sets on sale as low as $10.97!

Need a new set of sheets? These AmazonBasics Sheet Sets have awesome reviews!

AmazonBasics Microfiber Sheet Set Twin $13.99
AmazonBasics Microfiber Sheet Set Full $17.99
AmazonBasics Microfiber Sheet Set Queen $19.99
AmazonBasics Microfiber Sheet Set King $24.99

Amazon also has the Eureka EasyClean Corded Hand-Held Vacuum on sale for $34.28. We have one and I use it on the stairs ALL THE TIME. 😉

Save $10 off 1 gallon and $40 off off 5 gallon paints and stains from The Home Depot {thru 9/7/15} and Lowes Home Improvement {9/15/15}. I took advantage of this deal over the 4th of July weekend and ended up saving $80!! It’s a great deal and only comes around twice a year so stock up.

Also, today only you can save UP TO 27% OFF SELECT ELECTRIC PRESSURE WASHERS from The Home Depot. Prices are as low as $109 shipped. Perfect for fall clean up.

Get a FREE one day DVD rental from Redbox when you text HEB to 727272.

Start the year off right with these 10 Highly Effective Study Habits

Let’s Play Kitchen!

Melissa & Doug Stir and Serve Cooking Utensils $10.25
ColorYourLife 7-Pack Children’s Aprons $9.99
KidKraft Tasty Treats Play Food Set $19.20
KidKraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen $119.41 shipped

REI Outlet Deal of the Day – Mountain TRAILS 4-Person Family Tent ~~$34.73~~ $27.74 when you use code at OUT20 checkout {was $69.95}.

Discount Mags is offering a 1 year subscription to Hobby Farms Magazine for only $9.99 a year when you use code MAVIS at checkout. This deal will expire at midnight on 9/3/15 EST.

If you live in the Puyallup/Tacoma area Watson’s Greenhouse their once a year 40% off sale starts today!! I might stop by and see if I can snag another wisteria plant.

Amazon has an awesome sweepstakes going on right now where you can enter for a chance to win a $1,000 Amazon gift card to use on home automation products or ANYTHING ELSE on their site! You must be 18 years or older and can only enter once. Contest ends October 9th. Head on over HERE to enter.

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.

Easy Tuna Casserole with Broccoli

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By Mavis Butterfield on September 2, 2015 · 1 Comment

I made this tuna casserole with broccoli this afternoon to serve for dinner tonight and let me tell you Bob, I had a hard time not eating half the pan before setting it in the fridge for later.

The HH has a thing for tuna casserole and practically flips out everytime I make one. This time around I added broccoli and a little hot sauce to change things up a bit and I know he is going to love it {I sure did!}.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter plus extra for the casserole dish
8 ounces rotini pasta
1 pound broccoli florets
1 yellow onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups milk {I used 2%}
2 cans {5 ounces each} tuna in water, drained
1 teaspoon hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 2 quart casserole dish and set aside.

Bring water to a boil, add pasta and cook for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and cook an additional 4 minutes or until the noodles are al dente.

Drain noodles and broccoli and set aside. In the same pot, saute onions and carrots in butter until lightly browned. Add garlic, saute a minute longer. Add flour to the onions and carrots and cook for another minute. Slowly add in milk and stir until the mixture is thickened {about 2 minutes}.

Remove from heat, add tuna, hot sauce, salt and pepper and stir. Fold in pasta and broccoli and coat evenly. Pour mixture into your casserole dish, cover with foil and bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Serve warm and dig in.

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.

Harvesting and Drying Herbs From the Garden

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By Mavis Butterfield on September 2, 2015 · 11 Comments

Do you ever feel like fresh herbs go to seed waaaay faster than you can possibly consume them? I know if I turn my back for one minute on them, I’ve got flowers. In an effort not to waste food and make the most out of everything I grow, I have started drying most of my fresh grown herbs. It’s crazy easy and they store all year long with a lot more flavor than the stuff you get in the grocery store.

I try to keep drying simple. First, I harvest them. During the height of growing season, I usually snip of the entire stem to encourage the plant to keep producing. Then, I slide my thumb and pointer finger along the stem, pushing the leaves into a bowl.

As growing slows in the fall, I usually pick just the usable portion of the herb {almost always the leaf}. If you want, you can trim the entire stem and then pull off the leaves. Then, I bring them inside and wash them in the salad spinner. I like to give them a rinse, but want them to get mostly dry when I’m done.

After they have been washed, I do one of two things: I either lay them out on a cookie sheet or I get out the dehydrator. The cookie sheet method requires only a cookie sheet. You can use your oven {lowest possible temp for 2-3 hours}, but I typically use the sun and hot weather. I lay them out flat and set them outside to dry. I like this method because they dry pretty slowly, which I think retains their flavor a wee bit better.

If it is breezy, or just not that hot outside, I lay the herbs out flat on my dehydrator and dry them until they nice and crunchy to the touch.

If you want to go way old school, you can clip the stems and bundle them with a rubberband or twine, then hang them upside down in a place that is warm and dry. This method makes you look pretty legit, though, sometimes the bundles retain too much moisture and you get mold before they are dry. You’ve been warned.

When the herbs are completely dry, I like to get out my coffee grinder and pulse small batches of herbs through the grinder. It makes a little more recipe friendly. In between each type of herb, I usually clean my coffee grinder, just so that the flavors don’t co-mingle. I dump the dried and lightly pulsed herbs into small mason jars and then store them in the pantry or cupboard. They will store for about a year, and the flavor is so much more intense than anything you can get in the stores.

Do you dry your herbs? What is your preferred method?

~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.