Eversave DEAL for today! Last one :)

Ooh! I found another one my fellow mamas will like:

Pay $5 for a two-year subscription to Parents magazine ($24 value), your source for all the tips, articles and information you need to raise a healthy and happy family. For every cough and cry, Parents is there with a soothing solution. Turn to these childcare experts for the latest in child health and safety, as well as product recalls and reviews. Find healthy family recipes, beauty tips, pregnancy guides and more!

Please note: Save Rewards and promo codes are not valid on this deal - but new members get $2 when they sign up and $2 after they buy and share the deal, giving them $4 towards their next Eversave purchase!

CLICK HERE to get this save!!! Enjoy!! 

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

Eversave DEAL for today! Sun Jan 15th

Wow! Check this out fellow social media freaks!! :)

Forget frozen fingers - now you can reach for your iPhone, Droid or Blackberry without exposing your digits to the elements with today's Save.

Text and stay toasty with: $12 for a pair of smartphone-friendly mittens from Mittenberry. This modern spin on the mitten has a thumb flap so you can easily text and surf while your other fingers stay snug. These 100% wool mittens are super soft and itch-free. Choose from three chic colors that will keep you cozy and connected. Free shipping is included!

New members can get this deal for just $10 when they use their $2 credit.  CLICK HERE to get this great deal!! 
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Also, we have a great online bonus deal that will help you put your best foot forward with today's Save: $15 for $32 worth of socks and accessories from MyFunkySocks.com. S tripes and polka dots are just the beginning for a site that's jam-packed with socks to suit your every whim. Get your kicks with peace signs and bumble bees, or find your long lost sole-mate in a pair with puppy dogs. And if you want your purchase to give more than happy feet, suit up with a set of socks that give back.


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

Eversave DEAL for today! Friday Jan 13th

EVERSAVE Deal for TODAY Friday January 13th, 2012 

A hot new pair of heels may warm our hearts, but they tend to leave our toes out in the cold. For a seasonal style that's much hotter, cozy up to today's Save: a pair of $22 faux fur-lined boots from Shoe Scandal.

Choose from a bevy of boots with shearling-like exterior and faux-fur lining to keep your toes toasty this winter. Go for a classic look with a short bootie, or go tall with the three button boots.

The perfect combination of couture and comfort, these boots come in five different shades, from raspberry rose to chocolate brown. Pair your favorite color with skinny jeans or leggings (or, our personal favorite, cozy sweats). New members can get today's deal for just $20 when they use their $2 credit!

Get this save HERE

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

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?