Sweet Treats!

Gina's Italian Kitchen, my food blog, 

will be featuring sweet treats

 now until Valentine's Day!

Come by and check it out the

sweets for your sweetie :)

Kitchen Stuff on Sale Now

Stock up on these following items

 while the stores have too much

 inventory left from the holidays!

It happens every year . . .

1. Fruit & Citrus: These items are usually heavily stocked, intended as holiday gifts.  If you can't use them right away, citrus can be juiced, pureed or even frozen (most fruits can be frozen).  Plan your menu around these items while they can be purchased for a fraction of their original price!

2. Baking Supplies:  Look for discounts on flour, sugar, baking soda (which can also be used for your cleaning needs) . . . Basic staples are stocked in large quantities for holiday baking.

3. Pie Crusts & Phyllo Dough:  Take advantage of discount prices . . . same as baking supplies!  Grocery stores buy these items in bulk for holiday baking. Stock up!  Don't forget you can freeze pies :)

4. Cookie Cutters & Icing Supplies:  You will find inexpensive cookie cutters and icing tips at discount prices, although the inventory could be picked over . . . you never know!

5. Yogurts:   We tend to make our resolutions to lose weight in January, so it is logical that yogurt and other assorted "healthy" items will be purchased in large quantities by the stores and sold at a discount.  Just stick a popsicle stick in the top of yogurt you anticipate will not be used by the expiration date and pop them in the freezer for some handy healthy treats.

6. Sponges & Cleaning Supplies: You can count on deals for pricier specialized items like hand brooms or single sponges that might otherwise be over your budget.

7. Cookie Mix-Ins: Just when you made your resolution to lose weight, you will be tempted by the deep discounts on items like wrapped caramels, chocolate chips, marshmallows, chocolate bars, candies, nuts, dried fruits, sprinkles and other assorted cookie items for the next several weeks.

8. Winter Alcohol Packs: Beer, wine, hard liquors and gift sets are sold at reduced prices this time of year . . . stock up for that Super Bowl party! 

9. Super Bowl Foods:  Time for the start of the big push for party items like soda, chips, crackers and cheeses.  

10. Festive Beverages & Mix-Ins: Be on the lookout for holiday items like gingerbread and peppermint teas, holiday coffee creamer and flavorings . . . big markdowns on these items this time of year!

Happy Frugal Shopping!

Traditional January Bargains and Deals

Happy New Year!

Let's go January Shopping!

One of the greatest ways to save money is to wait until after the holidays to make major purchases.   Retail sales drastically drop after the holiday season . . . why not help retailers move their merchandise, keep their cash flow going to make new purchases and help yourself to some major bargains at the same time?  

The following items are Traditional January Bargains and Deals . . .

Wrapping Paper and Christmas Cards . . . General Holiday Items
Why not purchase these items for next Christmas at a fraction of the price?  Retailers need to get rid of left over holiday merchandise . . . they really don't want to store it!


Linens and Bedding
Stock up on your bedding, linens, towels during the "White Sales" in January . . . major discounts mean big sales that retailers depend on after the holiday rush.


Big Appliances
Take advantage of stores moving older inventory not sold through the holidays by offering huge discounts at the beginning of January.

Carpet and Flooring
You get your greatest carpet and flooring deals before February 15, when they are at their lowest demand.  Prices typically pick up when buyers receive tax refunds and sales increase.

Furniture
Just like the appliance stores, furniture stores need to make room for new inventory in January.  You will typically save 10-50% on the "older" furniture.

Happy Shopping!

FREE Printable 2012 Calendars

Freebie alert!

Super cute feminine printable 2012 Calendar!

Check it out . . . click here

Happy Holidays!

FREE Japanese Home Cooking EBook

Get your FREE Japanese Home Cooking EBook!

Click here

FREE Sewing patterns ~ Projects for the Home

Sign up for the Sew Daily newsletter and get free

project ebooks!  This is just one ebook available :)

Click here 

Happy Sewing!

Frugal Halloween Costume Ideas

The cost of a Halloween costume can be very pricey.

Why not get some frugal inspiration from the following list,

 get creative and come up with your own Halloween costume?

Do you really want to look like everyone else

 on Halloween night?  Be unique!

Cruise the thrift stores to get some ideas . . . think Halloween creativity as you look through all that stuff.  Click on the link for an insightful article about thrift stores and Halloween.


Have you ever used face paint?  It can be very inexpensive and easy to find at your local party store.  Some of the most awesome Halloween looks involved face paint and no elaborate costume!


How about Homemade Halloween Masks?  You can come up with an awesome mask with little supplies . . . equates to fabulous and frugal.  Click on the link to Woman's Day for some ideas.


Look around the house . . . revamped old clothes or recycled items (like garbage bags) can become a unique and interesting Halloween costume for a fraction of the cost of a purchased costume . . . or better yet . . . free.

Check out my new daily paper ~ Crafting News by Gina

Readers of my blogs know how much

 I love crafting and DIY projects.

One of my other blogs, LaBelladiva,

 regularly features projects from Bloggerville.

That was not enough for me . . . 

I've started a new daily paper . . . 

Crafting News by Gina . . . 

check it out!

Keep Fresh Cut Flowers Fresher Longer

Whether they are from your garden or a fabulous romantic gift from your special love, you want them to stay as fresh as possible for the longest time.

Don't you hate it when they start wilting immediately?  

Fresh flowers are one of the luxuries that I love to indulge in.  A bouquet of fresh flowers is relatively inexpensive at the grocery store, but they usually don't last very long at all.  Being the frugal person that I am, I would buy them more often if I knew I could make them last longer than one day . . . seems like a waste of money for just one day!  

I was very happy to find the following article which includes instructions on how to make them last longer:

Click here for the informative tutorial w/video!

Organize your hair accessories!

Do you waste money buying duplicate

hair accessories simply because they

are scattered all over the place?  

If you find yourself having a difficult time finding

a hair accessory when you need it, this simple

solution may be just what you need!

I'm so guilty!!

Using toilet paper or paper towel tubes is a great

solution.  Make them pretty and color coordinated

by using some modge podge and fabric or tissue

paper to decorate them . . . or paint them.

Do you have any tips on 

organizing hair accessories?

Free quilt patterns

ATTENTION QUILTERS!

Free patterns!

Click here to download

Free EBook from Mr. Food!

Mr. Food always has the best recipes  and I often post his recipes  on my food blog. Click here to get his free EBook,  No Bake Desserts.

Free Jar Labels

Do you can or preserve your own preserves or vegetables from your garden?

If you do or know someone who does . . . check out Jenny's blog, A World of Crafts.  

Click here for a link to some awesome jar labels!  They are so cute . . . and are free!

Be on HGTV

This is the height of being frugal . . . allowing the cameras and crews of an HGTV show into your home and being rewarded with a new kitchen, room, a redecorating project . . . whatever . . . most of them are free!  OMG . . . I only wish I had the nerve!


The people at HGTV are seeking participants for new episodes that will soon go into production.  


Click here to check out the list of what they are looking for!


Actually . . . I'd love to run into Ahmed from Yard Crashers at Home Depot . . .

Frugal Household Remedies

I love discovering new uses for stuff that is

already on hand, much less inexpensive or a 

quick fix for those pesky household problems.  

Here are a few . . . 

Use ketchup to remove tarnish from copper and brass cookware. Squeeze ketchup onto a cloth and rub it on pots and pans. Rinse with warm water and dry with a towel.

Does anyone have a natural remedy for cleaning stainless steel cookware?

Use oatmeal to scrub very dirty hands. Make a thick paste of oatmeal and water . . . rinse well.

Use glycerin to remove dried wax drippings from candlesticks. Peel off as much wax as possible, then moisten a cotton ball with glycerin and rub until clean.

Scuffed Linoleum

Rub the spot with white toothpaste and a dry cloth or with an eraser. Or spray WD-40 on a towel and rub lightly, making sure to degrease the area afterward with liquid dishwashing soap and water.

Stuck Sliding Windows

A little silicone spray lubricant (sold at hardware stores) will grease the skids. Spray it onto a rag and wipe along the tracks.

Stained Tub

Combine equal amounts of cream of tartar and baking soda with enough lemon juice to make a paste. Rub the mixture into the stain with your fingers or a soft cloth. Let sit for a half hour, then rinse well with water.

Clogged drains 
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain, then pour 1 cup of white vinegar. Follow immediately with 2 cups of boiling water. It will fizz and bubble then "poof" your drain will become unclogged. Do this once a month to keep drains free and clear. 

Top Mom Craft Blogs

If you a follower of one of my other blogs, LaBelladiva, you know that crafting and DIY projects are among my favorite things.  One of the main features of that blog is showcasing awesome projects I find through Bloggerville.

I was thrilled to find 50 Top Mom Craft Blogs featured on Babble.com . . . going through this list will be lots of fun!

Garden Frugality ~ Recycling Old Hoses

Don't toss out those old garden hoses!

Exercise your frugal wisdom and recycle them.

Here are some ways to repurpose them:

My favorite way to recycle old garden hoses is to poke holes to make a soaker hose or a really cheap sprinkler-type system.  Those soaker hoses can be expensive!  Don't forget to plug the end of the hose.

Cut the hose to a desired length and attach to the faucet for filling buckets.

Cut 1 to 2 foot pieces . . . thread onto wire or rope and use to stablize young trees on stakes. The hose helps to prevent damage on the trunk/bark of the tree.

Poke holes in the hose and plug the end of the hose . . . use as misters on patios.  Misters can be very expensive!

Cut about a 5-inch length, slit it lengthwise, wrap it around the handle of a bucket, and tape it closed with duct tape.  Makes an awesome grip for the bucket!

Slit the hose lengthwise, cut to size, to protect saw blades.

Gina's Home and Garden Bulletin

Get all of your home and garden news condensed on my new online newspaper format that covers the newest posts from across the internet on gardening, DIY, crafting, home decorating and more!
Click on the graphic to check it out.
Gina's Spicy Tidbits is my other online newspaper that is dedicated to food-related posts.

Save money with freezer meals

With the grocery store taking a huge portion of our budget, learning how to get the most from available food dollars is becoming more important every day.  We take advantage of the buy one, get one free deals on a regular basis, occasionally use coupons, but have not tried bulk buying and cooking, then freezing.

Natalie from A Turtle's Life For Me recently posted an article on how she saves money by bulk cooking and freezing.  The article is full of money-saving tips!  Check it out . . . click here.

I'm impressed and amazed at the system she's come up with . . . we plan on trying out many of her techniques in an effort to save money on groceries.

I'm hoppin'

It has been way too long . . . but I'm back to blog hopping!

If you are a new follower, leave me a comment and I will

follow you back :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

More exposure for your blog!

The place for bloggers to see and be seen!
Have you listed your blog at The Blog Entourage yet?
What are you waiting for?
Check it out and get listed!

Adgitize will help bloggers gain traffic, interact with other blogs,  grow their blog into a successful business and gain much needed  fellowship with the blogosphere. Our goal is to help bloggers get  "World Class Advertising on a Blogger's Budget."

Saturday Giveaway Parade

Here's the place to go if you are looking for giveaways to enter!

Free Jiffy Mix Cookbook

Jiffy Mix is one of those items that is always in my pantry and has been since I was a young adult on my own. I remember the times when all I could afford were these inexpensive type of foods (I know, not a healthy thing to do, but you have to do what you have to do when you have no money).  

My favorite mix . . . corn bread muffins.  It really isn't worth making it from scratch when you've got Jiffy Mix.

They are offering a free cookbook using their mixes! 

Order the book here

Get the electronic version here

Thanks to Susan at Susan's Disney Family for sharing this awesome deal!

My new home page

My home page is back!  Now you can keep up with all of my blogs, websites and places on the web in one place.  Click here to go to the blog, where you can follow via Blogger, Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, my new Facebook Fan Page or through RSS feed via your favorite reader or email.  You can also follow me on Twitter where all my blog posts are automatically tweeted.

For my Adgitize and Entrecard blogging friends . . . within the next couple of days, I will be setting up Adgitize and Entrecard . . . so you will have one more place to click!

My apologies for not being around as much . . . there are not enough hours in the day for everything I have been working on, but I should be back to "normal" soon.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Free!! Easy Casserole Recipes eCookbook

 

  Click here to download the Mr. Food Blue Ribbon Casseroles: 23 Easy Casserole Recipes free eCookbook now! [pdf]

Mr. Food always has the best recipes!  Our local news channel used to feature him in mini-segments featuring a recipe.  I was very happy to find his website and this free eCookbook.

$50 Restaurant.com GC ~ Debbie's 1000 GFC Follower Giveaway!

Congratulations to Debbie!

Join in the celebration and enter her 1000 GFC Follower Giveaway to win a $50 Restaurant.com Gift Card!

While you are there . . . join in my favorite weekend mega blog hop . . .