I'm baaaaack... again! :)

It has been a while since the last time you have heard from me here at NNM! For that, I am so sorry! But we have a  lot to catch up on which should keep me busy in the coming months! <3

Spiderman and Baby A are getting HUGE <3

 Crafty Mama- Installment II

Let's start with something easy & fun that's also eco friendly AND budget friendly! Here is what WE did at our house for our family members during the holidays;

As you know, we as a family (as I'm sure many of you have also experienced)  have struggled with finances over the last several years; getting back on our feet in this unsteady economy. You can check out my hand made gifts from last year HERE, in Crafty Mama. This year, I opted for something a little less hands- on, as I know I have two kids to chase after, and one on the way! So here's what I did:

Step 1_ in lieu of turning in the milk bottles we had been accumulating for the deposit as we normally would, I held on to them and cleaned them out to use as decorative containers. Cost? essentially free, because we drink the milk anyways :)

Step 2_ Next, I had the kids use their favorite color finger paints and paint their hand prints on the jars. Once they were dry, I just used a black Sharpie to go over each hand print with the appropriate child's name. Adorable and FREE (given that we used materials we already had at home).

Step 3_ homemade granola!

I used the recipe found HERE  from the Food Network site

I ended up making two batches to accommodate all my jars, and merely added some honey and cinnamon once it came out of the oven. The end result looked like this;

And it was DELICIOUS! Baby A and I just haaaaaad to sample some- you know, to make sure it was edible! :) 

Step 4_  Once the granola cooled, I placed a small amount in each jar, and stuffed in the top some decorative holiday tissue paper to fill the gap in the tall milk jugs ( I would have had to have made, like, 6 batches if I had wanted to FILL the jugs!) I placed the cap back on the jugs and placed them in gift bags made out of recycled paper that I purchased at Target for 99 cents each!


Somehow I did not get a photo of the finished product- hmph! but they came out great! and everyone thought the granola was delish! So overall, total score, for only the cost of the gift bags, gift tags, and granola ingredients!

Did YOU make any hand made gifts this holiday?

Hosting Thanksgiving: Budget Friendly Tips

Here are some tips on what I have done this year to plan for tomorrow's big meal! I'll post a full update after Thanksgiving, but I wanted to share some tips in case some of you knee deep in last minute preparations:

Food

For the best deal, scope your grocery flyers. I scanned mine a few weeks in advance, and sorted out our menu based on the best deals at our local Hannaford.

* for a possibly less budget friendly, but more earth friendly way you plan your meal: check with your local farm and use in season veggies and pre order your free range turkey :)

Our menu for tomorrow will be as follows:

Our Daily Red Organic Wine
turkey
stuffing
gravy
mashed red potatoes
mashed sweet potatoes
rutabaga and carrot casserole
dinner rolls
egg nog and coffee brandy dessert beverages

I purchased all of the above goods at our local Hannaford for less than $100. We are serving 6 people, and baby A :)

Tablescape

No need to spend a ton of money at department stores to have a pretty table this holiday. I spent a day or two scoping out our local Goodwill and Dollar Store. At Goodwill I found two tall, glass hurricane vases for 99 cents each. (You may even have some empty vases under your kitchen sink that you could use).  I also scored 9 cloth napkins for $2.99- a simple wash and iron and they are good to go!

I filled the vases with cranberries and a white tealight, and the cloth napkins have been secured with napkin rings (but you can also tie them with raffia, which is available at any craft store). 

I was able to get some flatware at the Dollar Store for $1.50, regularly $3.50. Cheaper than buying plastic silverware, I might add, and less waste.


General Preparation

Key Points for a successful, budget friendly, and more earth friendly holiday;

* Don't buy an excessive amount of food. Not every one of your guests needs 3 helpings! This will help your budget, and limit the amount of waste.

* Many times, disposable plates/napkins/flatware can be more costly than using the real thing and cloth options.

* Have your guests bring something! For example, we are doing the turkey and all the fixin's! but we have one of our guests bringing wine and two bringing dessert.

* I also purchased an inexpensive package of holiday tupperware (3 for $1.00) to use as leftover containers for my guests. Again, less waste if you send some home with guests!

* Last tip, compost your food waste. If you DO choose to use disposable items (cups/plates/flatware/etc) you can find biodegradable options at www.compostables.com and you can add them right to your compost!


Happy Thanksgiving!! How do YOU save money during the holidays??

Eversave DEALS for today! Friday Nov 4th SOLD OUT

* SOLD OUT * 
Tackle all your night-out needs with today's Save and get a $25 Target Gift Card AND a $50 restaurant.com Gift Card for just $26.

Use your Target gift card toward any of their products in-store and online. Hungry for more savings? Use your $50 gift card on Restaurant.com and receive discounts on thousands of restaurants nationwide.

Save Rewards are not valid on this deal - but new members get $3 when they sign up and $2 after they buy and share the deal, giving them $5 towards their next Eversave purchase!

Click HERE to buy this SAVE. 

* Be sure to check out Eversave on Facebook and Twitter and let them know NNM sent you! 

Buying vs Renting in the Current Economy

Is it worth buying a home in this economy??

BUY OR RENT????

I know many people have an emotional tie to the feeling of "owning" their own home. But with 72% of America living paycheck to paycheck (courtesy of the Nate Berkus show lol), is it worth the extra expenses that come with home ownership?

I've owned a home. It was foreclosed at the very beginning of the recession.

We now rent, and while I know my husband has an emotional motivation to someday buy a home- I am extremely happy 'merely' renting. There are plenty of months where we can barely pay rent- so WHY would we want the added expenses of a broken furnace, or an old roof, or peeling paint?? I just call my landlord.

Yes we pay oil. We pay electricity. But everything else is 'all inclusive' when it comes to rent. No surprise expenses. And now that we are finally getting to the point where we are catching up with bills and rent; we have the 'extra' money to (again finally) be able to furnish the apartment the way we want, eat better, decorate, improve the children's bedrooms, etc.

Cash Diet

My husband and I also live on a cash diet. We have no credit cards (not totally by choice, because ideally it would be great if we had one for emergencies), but this limits our extraneous spending. Once the cash is gone, it's gone.

For bills, we use the prehistoric envelope method :) One envelope for rent, one for electric, one for cell phones, etc. and then every few months, admittedly, we scramble to come up with enough cash for the minimum oil delivery. But regardless, we are not accumulating any additional debt.


Savings

We have been living in our little apartment haven for almost 2 years now. We have not saved anything. We are just now, I would say, breaking even. But this has allowed us to get back on our feet. My husband is working extremely hard, and I am now home again doing my best to keep up the house and get the kids where they need to go, etc. without using too much gas :)

Today I am creating a budget. A much needed budget.

We have been loosely following a budget of: "we need this much for rent each week, and we'll put this much towards phone and electric each week", etc. But now that we have a better revenue stream coming IN, we should have (in theory) WAY more money left over every week than we do!

How do you create a budget for your family? When you live paycheck to paycheck, do you still leave FUN money aside? How much?

Eversave DEALS for today! Friday Oct 21st

Coffees of Hawaii deal for Oct 21st. Click HERE to access deal. 

Pay just $15 for $30 worth of premium coffee and say "Aloha" to whatever weather winter sends your way. Choose from a variety of flavorful roasts and blends available as whole beans, ground, espresso ground and more. We all have that friend who savors her daily Starbucks more than most- send her on a Hawaiian tour with a Three Island gift tin.

New members can get this deal for $12 when they use their $3 credit.

* Be sure to check out Eversave on Facebook and Twitter and let them know NNM sent you! 

Eversave DEALS for today! Mon Oct 17th

 Pay only $20 for a year subscription to both Martha Stewart Living and Whole Living Magazines ($34 value) 

NEW Members will get this save for only $17.00 when you use your $3.00 credit

Click HERE to purchase this save today!

Be sure to follow Eversave on Facebook and Twitter and let them know NurturingtheNaturalMama sent you!

Monday Surf.... yea yea- I'm a day late :)

Some amazing posts I came across this last week or so! Enjoy, and feel free to share yours below!

The Benefits of Co Sleeping by Breastfeeding.com

I love that this article fully addresses all the aspects and myths regarding co sleeping. So many, especially new moms, are so worried about developing bad habits, raising needy children, suffocating the baby, and/or increased sleep deprivation.

And clearly, co sleeping is not for everyone, but there are plenty of ways to safely co sleep. And co sleeping, in my experience, significantly DECREASES parental sleep deprivation. It is far easier to nurse overnight and keep the baby calm in your arms versus getting up and going into the other room, etc.

Additionally, I always felt safer having my babies next to me (I co sleep using a bassinet/Arms Reach co sleeper) versus in a different room. Then I was able to keep an eye on them better- hear all the little noises and feel their breathing pattern without having to listen to a static-y monitor. (I do have a severe aversion to baby monitors- I think they're useless, but that's a whole different story!)

If you've ever read my blog before, you are aware at how much I disagree with the Cry It Out (CIO) method. This is also addressed in this article.

Crying It Out Causes Brain Damage by Peaceful Parenting

As mentioned above, and multiple times prior, I feel very strongly against the CIO method. This re print from Peaceful Parenting just solidifies my feelings. Crying it out causes extreme distress. Extreme distress causes the body to produce increased levels of cortisol, which is harmful to the baby. Additionally, extreme distress inhibits proper growth of certain areas of the brain.

And lastly, you can read some my previous posts on attachment theory, and you'll see that those early responses to your baby's cries- whether you co sleep or not- are what causes your baby to attach to you- physically and mentally. Children who are unattached, or have what used to be termed 'attachment adjustment disorder' not only have trouble forming healthy adult relationships, but can also develop other mental illness and/or social disorders.


A Poem for the Children this Earth Never Had by Peaceful Parenting
Another great post by Peaceful Parenting this week especially in light of October 15th- Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

I cried for joy when I saw the pink lines

We’d waited and waited for such a long time.

People gave gifts to show their delight,

I could barely get any sleep at night.

I was so excited to experience this life

I felt like I finally had something right.

The family I’d dreamed of for so many years

Was worth the wait, and was finally here.

Then in an instant, the joy was gone

I went to the doctor because something was wrong.

He said not to worry, it would all be ok

But he was wrong, and my baby left me that day.

My heart aches for the child I never knew

He was once in my womb, then with angels he flew.

I’m sure he’s in heaven having a ball

With Jesus, the greatest Daddy of all.

I can’t wait for the day that I see my child

He’ll run to me quick with his arms open wide.

I love him as much as I love my new son

But he’ll forever be my very first one.

He holds a very special place in my heart

He made me a Mommy, though his time was cut short.

My dream has come true and my family is great

I have three kids in heaven, my arrival they await.

Someday we’ll be together and they’ll sit on my lap

And I’ll mother the children that this Earth never had.

~ Tricia Pyatt

And then just a quick shout out to another great website I just discovered- if you're anything like me, and have experience post partum depression, you should check out  www.postpartumprogress.com.


Post your faves from this week below! Enjoy!