In the Kitchen With Molly
Need a hand in the kitchen? Molly can help.
From planning meals to putting them on the table, feeding a family is a big job. In the Kitchen With Molly is the next best thing to having a personal chef.
This new E-Book contains 12 weeks of menu plans, one for each month of the year, plus shopping lists and printable recipe cards. With the planning done for you, you'll have more time to spend enjoying your family or tackling other projects that need your attention.
And with Molly, the focus is always on frugality. These recipes not only save you time, but they also save you money. Trimming dollars from the grocery bill can add up to a significant difference in the family budget, and having meals planned means you'll eat out less often. That's good for your wallet and your waistline.
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A Look Back . . .
August 2010 Digest:
Store and stock up . . . adding significantly to your savings!
Get the best pick on apples . . . learning a bushel of useful information!
Grow responsible kids . . . employing time management support (with three great forms) to inspire productivity!
Learn along with Molly how to survive and thrive in today's economy! Open a wealth of homemaker's delights inside the August 2010 edition of Molly's Money-Saving Digest!
August 2009 Digest:
Organization for Busy Families
August means organization for many households.
Is your home looking dignified and grand?
How impressive are your organization skills?
Start now, and strategize to organize with this motivating issue of . . .
Molly's Money-Saving Digest-August 2009
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Molly Makes $7 Slow Cooker Suppers ~ Quick & Easy 140 deliciously simple recipes --140 wonderful ways to feed your family! Our daily lives often seem to run on overdrive. Too frequently a healthy, home-cooked meal is one of the things sacrificed. If only you had more time! Okay, maybe you really like to cook and it's worth all the effort it takes. But every day, day in and day out, perhaps two or even three meals a day . . . 14 to 20 meals a week, whew! A homemaker needs a reprieve!
Molly Goes Camping
Do you long to enjoy and explore the great outdoors with your family? Want to make that special connection with your kids? Don't let a few varmints, mosquitoes, or mishaps spoil your fun. Go camping! For the price of spending a night or two in a motel, you can outfit your family for adventure and make memories for a lifetime! Get ready for an unforgettable experience as Molly and her fellow campers show you how, in Molly Goes Camping. |
Molly's Super Summer Fun Pack Make your summer spectacular with Molly's Super Summer Fun Pack. This collection of E-Books will help you save time and money on every aspect of summer, and you'll have a great time doing it! All six for only $15! 
Organize With Molly- Organization Bundle Since our organization-focused Digests have been reader favorites, hands-down, we've decided to put together a special "organization bundle" just for you. |
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They come once a year, every year, without fail. What am I talking about? Birthdays!
Birthdays are a wonderful time to celebrate with family and friends, but they can end up costing quite a bit by the time you buy the decorations, food, and presents. This is especially true if you have a large family.
In this week's newsletter, I provide ideas for your next child's birthday celebration to help keep costs down.
Have a great time celebrating, and if you use any of the ideas, be sure to leave a photo on my Facebook page!
P.S. You won't want to miss out on my Organizational Back-to-School special offer. Five of my favorite E-Books and Digests for only $15!
Also, if you haven't joined me on Pinterest or YouTube, click the links in the left sidebar. I have lots of fun stuff on both sites!
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From the Blog
If you didn't make it to the blog this week, head on over to see what you've been missing. Don't forget to leave a comment. I love hearing from you!
We'd love it if you would show your support of Econobusters by sharing posts you like with your friends. The number of "tweets" and "likes" will also give me a better idea of what you'd like to see more of. Thanks so much! |
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Creative and Frugal
Birthday Ideas
Here are some fun and frugal ideas for your next birthday party!
- Martha Stewart helps you organize your next party.
- If you need ideas for treats to serve at the party, try these cherry-vanilla popsicles, honeybee cake pops, princess printable for candy bars, or homemade fruit soda.
- Here's an easy-to-make treat tray.
- I love this balloon wreath!
- Here are nine ways to decorate with pinwheels. And how to make them!
- Check out these adorable The Very Hungry Caterpillar™ invitations.
- Here's how to make your own party blowers!
- Martha Stewart suggests that if you need paper plates and bowls, you buy twice as many plates at a bulk or discount store and turn half of them into bowls. This probably won't work well if you are going to put anything liquid in the bowl, though.
- Celebrating at the park? Try this birthday in a suitcase!
- Ice cream is a popular birthday treat! How about creating your birthday theme around it with these ice cream cone hats? Serve ice cream with homemade Magic Shell, and put the other toppings in these easy-to-make paper dishes. Do something non-traditional by making these fun ice cream cupcakes or stacked ice cream cupcakes. Kids Parties 123 and See Jane Blog have more ideas for ice cream-themed decorations, games, and food.
- For a bug theme, make insect finger puppets and twirling ladybugs.
- For some more themed birthday party fun, check out the following ideas. They don't all have instructions, and some of them may have not been very frugal, but they should get your creative juices flowing: fish party, baseball party, cowgirl party, cowboy party, space party, carnival party, bright colors party, mini-golf party, spa party (the moms may want to participate too!), and silly party.
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Molly Members
Hi Molly Members,
I hope you've checked out all your freebie links this month. In addition to the E-Book shown below (a $12.45 value!), there are lots of other tips and links. I especially recommend downloading the 22-page wardrobe planning E-Book and wallet-size measurement chart.
Not a member yet? We'd love you to join us. Only $3.95/month! And remember, if you don't want to join with monthly payments, you can pay in advance with our six-month or 12-month prepaid membership options. For only $23.70, you can enjoy six months of Money-Saving Digests, plus receive additional free E-Books and resources. This is a small investment to keep yourself armed and encouraged on your money-saving journey. The tips in each Digest easily recoup the cost!
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Homemade Ice Cream Cake
I've shared this on the blog before, but just in case you missed it, here it is again. Head on over to Econobusters to find the breakdown on the cost!
Ingredients:
Two cartons of ice cream
One container of Cool Whip (or generic version)
One container of frosting
One package of Oreos (or generic brand)
Directions:
- Let the ice cream soften a bit and then place it in the fridge.
- Melt one stick of butter in a pan while you crush the Oreos. I left fairly big chunks of cookies. It was good this way, but some may prefer them more finely crushed. Set aside a handful of crushed Oreos to sprinkle over the top of the cake once it's finished.
- Pour the butter over the crushed cookies and spread into the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch cake pan. (You could make this work with any size pan, really.)
- Spread one flavor of the slightly melted ice cream over the cookies and then place the cake in the freezer to harden.
- Once it's hardened, spread a thin layer of frosting (about half) over the ice cream. Then spread a second flavor of softened ice cream and place the cake back in the freezer.
- Once it's hardened, spread the rest of the frosting on the cake and finish off with a layer of whipped topping.
- Sprinkle the rest of the crushed cookies over the top. You can also sprinkle with nuts, crushed candy bars, candies, or whatever you like. This cake can be personalized to fit the recipient's tastes.
Yum!
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Paper Bag Pinata
Head on over to Infarrantly Creative to learn how to make this homemade pinata for less than $2! It can easily be customized to any birthday theme and would make a fun addition to your child's next birthday party!
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Photo credit: Beckie Farrant |
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Molly Saves! In the Closet
Be a frugal fashionista!
Reduce, reuse, and buy used to save money on clothing without sacrificing style.
In Molly's Money-Saving Digest for August, learn how to outfit your family inexpensively, make your own closet organizer, and even turn a spare closet into an office. But the Digest doesn't stop there. You'll find plenty of other advice to help you get the most out of your money and your time.
- Make a cool summertime treat with a few minutes of your time and a few ingredients you probably already have at hand.
- Add a versatile Mexican meal to your recipe box.
- Explore your options for making sure your pets are well-cared-for when you're away.
- Teach your kids an important financial concept for businesses.
- Discover the many benefits of drinking water.
- Learn how to protect your hair from the ravages of summertime.
- Find out which book stays on Molly's shelf year after year.
August's special feature is:
Molly Saves! In the Closet
It's easy to get carried away with clothing. From the temptation to overspend to the burden of having more clothes than storage space, wardrobes can be worrisome. In this society so focused on having it all, frugal families must hold to the belief that less is more. With a foundation of neutral basics that really fit, a smaller wardrobe can cover all the bases. This month's Digest offers up tips on practicing contentment and getting the most out of your clothing budget and your closet space.
- Find free patterns online to make your own clothes.
- Learn how to repair damaged clothing or turn lost causes into something useful.
- Thin your clothing collection to make room for a frugal and fabulous "cloffice," an office in your closet.
- Read Molly's tips on the best places to buy clothing, how to make good purchases, and how to stock your wardrobe with essential pieces.
- Learn how to turn an inexpensive cardboard shoe organizer into an organizer/storage unit with drawers.
- Explore the ins and outs of buying used.
Read more and see a sample HERE. |
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