Becentsable, Author at Becentsable

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Fun 4th Of July Ideas

June 28th, 2009

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July 4th Layered Drinks – The kids will love this!

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Spangled Sandwich Pops – Very easy!

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Sparkler Shield – Why didn’t I think of that!

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Art Projects – fun for the little ones!

***Head over HERE for more 4th of July ideas.

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Surviving a Road Trip with Toddlers

July 25th, 2008

Here are some tips for surviving a road trip with toddlers:

We stopped every two hours (the furthest we made it was 2.5 hours but that was just a fluke!). We had to let the kids out for all our sanity! Even if it was just a bathroom break, everyone got out, stretched and walked to the RR.
We always stopped at parks, truckstops with grassy areas or rest stops with grassy areas. We did have to make two stops a couple of times to find the “right” place but it was SOOOO worth it. Even my usual “no fuss” husband was willing to make the extra trek for a place the kids could run around. We even ate lunch at a campground one afternoon and took a walk, stopped for geocaching – simple stuff to distract the kids. At lunch, the kids ate, then played (we had soccer balls, squishy balls, a Frisbee and some cars for them to play with). We made each stop at least 45 mins – usually an hour(even when we really just wanted to keep driving!).
We did not eat out even once! This is kind of a must for our family anyway given my child’s special diet but it was so much easier to eat at a picnic area or on our blanket in the grass than it would have been to lug everyone inside for a not very healthy meal where they had to sit still the whole time. We packed lunches, snacks and drinks up each morning before leaving the hotel so all we needed at the stops was a smaller cooler (vs the giant one with everything in it!). This required us to have milk already in cups for the kids and they ONLY had milk at meal times – we had 1 gallon in the big cooler. We packed two cups for each of them (the other was for water on the road). We had small lunch size coolers for snacks in the car and a larger soft side cooler for lunches. Rather than buy ice we rounded up all the ice packs we could find from our freezer and from friends and family and it got us by for the day.
Hotels were as inexpensive as possible…with a dog. I actually learned a valuable lesson on this trip. We had reserved rooms at two Residence Inns and they were pretty pricey but we were too tired to keep driving so we stopped at a motel (Budget Host I believe) in western KS and got a DEAL! $60 for the room (including the dog). It wasn’t the Residence Inn but it was clean and quiet. I asked the clerk why I didn’t get them when I searched online and she said it was too expensive for them to book through the web so they just weren’t listed with the hotel search sites. It pays to check ALL your resources before making reservations.
WATER, WATER, and more WATER! Some lovely reader mentioned that we would need more water than we could imagine. Boy am I glad she did so! I saved and filled 3 gallon milk jugs with water each morning. One was for the dogs, one for us if we got thirsty and one for washing up any major messes. Thankfully we never had to use jug #3 and the other two lasted all day!
Don’t invest in any special “car toys”. All of the things I brought along for the car to keep the kiddos entertained while I drove…nada…we talked, sang songs (ABC’s like a million times!) and watched DVD’s. That was the one very useful investment. Both kids watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Backyardigans, Little Einsteins, a few Disney movies…

So – those are my tips. Nothing mind blowing but if you are traveling with kids and/or pets I hope my experience will help you! Some are frugal some are just helpful tips but I can honestly say that all of them together helped us save money and have as smooth a 21 hour drive as possible!

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Vegas Money Saving Tips: 5 Ways To Save Money in Vegas

June 14th, 2022

Did you know you can have a 5 star vacation on a 2 star budget, even in Vegas? With a little planning and research you can save big. Here are 5 Vegas money saving tips that will help you save money and time.

Vegas Money Saving Tip: #1 Flights

Although flights are typically one of the more expensive parts of traveling, here are a few ways I brought down the cost. First, I used Southwest airlines for my transportation to Vegas. Which, safe to say, was definitely a budget friendly choice. Southwest allows you to earn a companion pass, which is where you get to choose one person to fly free for two years. To earn the companion pass, I use the Southwest credit card rewards program.

Tip: Only use credit card rewards if you can pay off your credit card every month.

Another way to save money is to fly off-season, book flights in advance, and avoid traveling on busy days of the week.

Vegas Vacation Tip #2: Hotels

One big way to save in Vegas is to pick a hotel close to things you are going to do so you don’t have to pay for transportation. I stayed at the Bellagio which is in the middle of the strip. The Bellagio had lot of free entertainment close by.

You can also use reward points, go in low season or during the week. We picked this hotel because of the location and the bonus reward points we earn for future vacations.

Vegas Vacation Tip: #3: Food

Food is expensive in Vegas! One way to save money is to take food with you if you can check luggage. Southwest let us check 2 bags each, so I took advantage of this and packed lots of food. We packed snacks and breakfast items.

Tip: A great options for sandwiches and easy meals is CVS and Target (on the strip). Also, check out the upscale food court at MGM.

Vegas Vacation Tip: #4 Drinks

Drinks are also super expensive in Vegas. To help cut our drink budget, I packed drinks in our luggage. We only packed items in plastic or cans so we didn’t have to worry about glass breaking. We had drinks before we went to dinner, took our own drinks when we walked around the strip, and took our own drinks to the pool (this might depend on if your hotel allows for this).

Tip: As with the food, you can also grab some drinks at CVS or Target on the strip. We found a great bottle of wine at the food court in MGM.

Vegas Vacation Tip: #5 Entertainment

Vegas has a ton of free entertainment! Take a bit of time to do a little research and I am sure you will find several free items to cut your entertainment budget.

Free things to do in Vegas:

Fountains at Bellagio
Fremont Street Experience
Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Ethel M Chocolate Factory
Walking around the Resorts
Volcano Show
Window Shopping

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Where Do I Start?: A Five Step Plan to Save on Groceries

March 18th, 2020

The number one question people ask me when they begin cutting their grocery bill is where do I start. There’s no right way to begin, but I remember feeling overwhelmed by how much I had to learn so I’m offering the plan that worked for me. I found it helpful to take the process of cutting my grocery bill one step at a time. Depending on where you are in the process, you may be able to skip the first step or two.

Five Step Plan to Save on Groceries

Step 1

If you don’t already follow a budget, my suggestion is to begin by tracking how much you are spending on food each month. Keep every receipt for one month and add them up at the end. Although you may spend more one month and less another, this number will give you a starting point. Set a goal and keep track of your food totals each month. Try to cut your bill by at least $20 per month until you reach your goal. If you are married, I highly recommend setting goals together so that you’re both on the same page.

Step 2

When you know how much you’re spending on food each month, a great place to start cutting your grocery bill is by planning a weekly menu of simple recipes. I think it is helpful to include breakfast, lunch and snack items as well. Based on your menu plan, make a shopping list of necessary items and stick to it.

Step 3

As soon as you feel comfortable planning a weekly menu, begin looking at grocery store circulars to identify sale items and plan your menu around them. Look for loss leaders that are typically advertised on the front page of the circular. Loss leaders are items the store is selling at a loss to attract you into the store in the hope you’ll buy more. If you have enough room in your grocery budget, stock up on the loss leaders and freeze what you can’t use immediately. Continue stocking up by stretching your grocery budget to buy more food for the same amount or less money than you were spending in past.

TIP: Once you have begun building a stockpile, take the items you have on hand into consideration when planning your weekly menu.

Step 4

Learn how to play the drug store game. You can save a lot of money by using the store promotions offered at CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid. I suggest choosing to learn how to use the store promotions at one store at a time.

Step 5

As time allows, begin making more of your food from scratch. If you rely on a lot of convenience foods to save time, it’s likely they are taking a big chunk out of your grocery budget. Consider baking and freezing a batch of mini muffins for the kids to take as snacks instead of buying prepackaged granola bars or potato chips. Skip the frozen meals and meals in bag and cook from recipes using basic ingredients instead. Another benefit of meals made from scratch is that they are likely to be healthier than the convenience food version. Again, I suggest taking it one step at a time so you don’t become overwhelmed and quit. Also, watch for sales because sometimes convenience foods go on sale for less than you’d spend making the same food from scratch. If that’s the case, stock up!

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