One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 999 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.

Easy Kids Christmas Candy Crafts – Candy Cane Sleigh

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By Mavis Butterfield on December 5, 2014 · 25 Comments

These candy loaded candy cane sleighs will not only make great gifts for your kids’ friend, but will probably make you the most popular mom on the block {with the kids, at least, the parents may hate you when their kids are climbing up the drapes-ha!}.

You’ll need:

10 miniature candy bars {for each sleigh you make}
2 candy canes
1 full size KitKat
Glue {or double sided tape}
Wrapping ribbon
Wrapping bow

Directions:

Glue the candy canes onto the bottom of the Kitkat. This will be the base of your sleigh.
Stack the candy bars into a pyramid formation on top of the KitKat, gluing them down as you go. There should be 4 miniature candy bars on the bottom, then 3, then 2, then 1.
Wrap the ribbon around the sleigh, tying it on the bottom {as if you were wrapping ribbon around a gift}.
Put the bow on top. {I glued mine down, just to make sure it stayed.}

How easy is that?

~Mavis

Find More Christmas Crafts for Kids

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Ugly Corner Fireplace Remodel Before and After Photos

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By Mavis Butterfield on December 5, 2014 · 17 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE before and after photos!

Mario the tile guy came by yesterday and finished the fireplace tile. What do you think? We still have some things to do like buying a few pieces of furniture, painting the trim and hooking up a tv over the mantel, but construction wise, the new family room is finished.

I think Chino and his crew did a great job updating the room and creating a larger space. It’s amazing to me how much the room opened up by pushing back the wall and adding an extra 45 square feet {Compare the photos above the sofa area to see the difference}.

Not a huge change, but still, I really liked how it all turned out.

We most likely won’t finish furnishing the family room until spring because honestly, I need a break. I want to enjoy the holidays and then get my garden started before stage 2 of the remodel begins in March {Master bath, upstairs hallway and Monkey Boy’s bathroom}. I don’t want to have to think about furniture, making stuff to hang on the walls or buying a tv to hang over the mantel.

I just want to stay home and eat cookies and dig in the dirt.

I know, I’m weird like that.

So what do you think? Do you think it looks better than before, or was I crazy to have the room remolded?

~Mavis

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Free Kindle Books, Stocking Stuffers, Pendleton Shirts, Fresh Flowers, Starbucks and More

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By Mavis Butterfield on December 5, 2014 · 23 Comments

Happy Friday everyone, anyone have any plans for the weekend? I have to brave the stores to look for a new laptop. Mine is dying a slow death and it’s taking me forever to get things loaded and posted lately. The HH has tried to fix it several times but I think I just need to bite the bullet and get a new one. Lame. I hate spending money on stuff like that.

Do YOU have a computer you absolutely love? If so, please leave a comment below because I need all the help I can get.

Have a great weekend,

♥ Mavis

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

Available Kindle Books I think are cool…

The Ultimate Cook Book $0.99
Favorite Christmas Cookies Free
My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir $1.99
The Wedding List: A London Christian romance Free
My Spiritual Journey $1.99
A Christmas Carol Free
Afghans: Afghan Patterns 101 Free
One Acre Homestead $2.99
Smart Money Kids Free
Carolina Sunshower Free
Beekeeping For Beginners Free

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! 🙂

If you’ve got someone on your list who is a Star Trek, Dr. Who, The Big Bang Theory, or Star Wars fan, pop on over to Think Geek for some super cool and quirky gifts. Use code USPACK at checkout to score free shipping!

Star Wars LIGHT UP Chop Sabers $14.99 {Freakin’ AWESOME!}
Doctor Who Disappearing TARDIS 2 Pack Pint Glass Set $14.99
THE BAZINGA SATURATION HYPOTHESIS Tee $24.99
Star Trek The Original Series Uniform Hoodie $34.99

Back in stock. These are so much fun!!! I ordered my daughter a set of these 3D Butterfly Wall Stickers for my daughters dorm room and she absolutely loves them. Amazon has them back in stock right now for $3.22 shipped!

Amazon has the Evenflo Beach Baby ExerSaucer on sale for $35.88 {reg. $59.99!}.

Zulily has Lilli Lovebird Sets on sale to day with up to 75% off savings! Perfect for those with American Girl Dolls!

10 – Pack of Barilla Whole Grain Pasta, Spaghetti $9.02 shipped when you use the subscribe and save option at checkout. {25% discount will be applied at checkout}.
8 – Pack of Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths $12.10 shipped when you use Amazon subscribe and save.
24 Rolls of Brawny Paper Towels $18.99 shipped when you use the Amazon subscribe and save option.
48 Double Rolls of Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Bath Tissue $22.74 shipped when you use Amazon subscribe and save.

Learn About Amazon Subscribe and Save

*Keep in mind you can cancel your Subscribe and Save membership at anytime. To cancel or change your items, simply click on “My Account” and then click on “Subscriptions.” You can easy peasy modify or cancel any of your Subscribe and Save items at anytime, no obligation at all.*

Attention Starbucks fans… Today through Sunday 12/7/14 you can get any grande Frappuccino for just $3 after 2PM. Saweet!

Tell me these Waterless Snow Globes are not the perfect craft for kids! And no worries about them shattering and getting gooey water everywhere. No water to be found inside! Find more cool holiday projects and tips on my Christmas Pinterest Board.

Send your Grandmother or Mother the 22 Long Stem Alstro-Rose Bouquet – With Vase for just $30.30. {Ships free if you have Amazon Prime}.

My favorite REI Outlet deals for today:

White Sierra Puffy Peak Packable Vest $29.73 shipped {was $65} Available in Blue or Black
Cordillera Chamonix Insulated Skirt $44.73 shipped {was $99}.

Cabela’s has the Men’s Dakota Grizzly Trapper Long-Sleeve Waffle-Knit Crew on sale for $14.88 {was $42} and has free shipping on orders of $49 or more when you use code 4JOLLY at checkout.

Here are a few bedding deals I spotted:

LinenSpa Premium Hypoallergenic 100% Waterproof Mattress Protector $21.99 {Queen}
Clara Clark Premier 1800 Series Bed Sheet Collection $21.99 {Beige cream}
Chezmoi Collection White Goose Down Alternative Comforter $34.99 shipped {Queen}
Lucid by Linenspa 2″ Ventilated Memory Foam Mattress Topper $69.99 shipped {Queen}

Discount Mags is offering a 1 year subscription to Motor Trend Magazine for only $4.50 a year when you use code MAVIS at checkout. This deal will expire tonight 12/5/14 at midnight EST..

6pm has the Men’s Pendleton L/S Oceanside Shirt on sale for $20.85 shipped!! Available in sizes Small – 2 XL. I love ordering from this company because it has fast shipping! UPDATE use code 6PMCN125201410222 at checkout to snag 10% off your order!

These Buttered Rum Meltaway Cookies are really melt-in-your-mouth good! If you’ve never made them before, I’d suggest you make this the year to try them! Get the recipe HERE or Pin it for Later.

These bead kits are the perfect winter/rainy day activity:

6-Pack Perler Fun Fusion Ironing Paper $4.05
Perler Beads Fun Fusion Idea Book $4.99
Perler Beads Perler Pattern Pad $5.02
Perler Beads 6,000 Count Bucket-Multi Mix $7.99
Perler Fuse Bead Value Activity Kit $11.23
Perler Beads Sunny Days Activity Bucket $7.32

Get a Twilight Retro Style Leather Pencil /Makeup Pouch for only $2.00 shipped. I ordered a few of these last winter for stocking stuffers and small birthday gifts and was really happy with them.

Amazon has the Belkin Rockstar Multi-Headphone Splitter on sale for just $10.48. This is great for sharing the iPod on car rides and while waiting at the Doctor’s office.

If you have Amazon Prime then head over HERE to get all sorts of FREE HOLIDAY Music from Amazon.com. The Piano Guys, Enya, Andy Williams and more.

Check out these New Printable Coupons:

Find More Printable Coupons

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Homemade Cherry-Pistachio Nougat

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By Mavis Butterfield on December 4, 2014 · 3 Comments

I had a lot of pistachios to use up and not a lot of time to whip up a recipe. When I saw this recipe on Bon Appetit I was a little intimidated. It looked like it would be really difficult to make. I don’t like being wrong {just ask the HH}, but I’m so glad I was wrong about this! It wasn’t hard at all and I would totally make it again in a heartbeat cause dang it was good!

Ingredients

1 cup pistachios
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
1 large egg white, room temperature
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup dried cherries {cranberries would be good too}
{2} 8×8′ sheets parchment paper

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly coat baking pan with nonstick spray. Line the 8×8″ baking pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 1″ overhang on all sides and set aside.

On a baking sheet, spread pistachios out and bake for 10 minutes, stirring once, then cool, chop and set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, honey and water and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of pan. Increase heat and boil about 3 minutes or until thermometer reaches 252 degrees.

Meanwhile, beat egg white and salt in a stand mixer with whisk attachment until soft peaks form. With mixer running, slowly add in hot sugar mixture. Beat until about 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens and triples in size. Add cherries and pistachios and carefully mix with a rubber spatula to incorporate.

Place one 8×8″ sheet of parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray in the prepared pan. Transfer nougat to pan, spreading evenly. Top with second sheet of sprayed parchment paper. Using a spatula, press the nougat into an even layer. Let stand at room temperature for about 2 hours or until set.

Once set, use the plastic wrap to lift the nougat out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Remove plastic wrap and cut into desired squares using a hot knife {I ran mine under super hot water and then dried the knife before cutting}. Enjoy.

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.