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Food Ideas for 9 Month Old Day 3

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:57:30 GMT

Day 3 (Continuation of Baby Menu)

Breakfast- oatmeal with applesauce
Lunch- Plain applesauce
Dinner- Chicken Vegetable/Noodle Soup

As you can see, my baby girl is not that picky. I actually, made enough soup on day one to last her the whole week. That saves me lots of time. So, do not be surpised if you see this soup again. I have to maximize my time. We all do.

Happy Savings,

Lisa-21SmartWays
www.21smartways.com

Food Ideas for 9 month Old Day 2

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:23:00 GMT

On day 2, this is what I prepared for my dear baby daughter.

Breakfast: Banana and yogurt
Lunch: Squash soup with ham pieces
Snack: Apple Sauce
Dinner: Chicken Vegetable/Noodle Soup

It surely does save money using what you have on hand to make your baby's food. I should also mention that I nurse her about 3 times a day.

Happy Savings,

Lisa-21 SmartWays
www.21smartways.com

One Pot Wonders

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:47:00 GMT

What is so wonderful about one pot wonders? Well, it takes one pot, there is typically more to spare, and a one pot wonder can serve as a great spot for leftovers and leftunders. Leftunders are what I refer to as all those underutilized treasures in your refrigerator. They are typically kept under everything else; like your milk, cheese and eggs. Things you use more often. Great examples are carrots, leeks, thyme and peppers. Basically, vegetables are leftunders that you can certainly makeover into a great one pot wonder. A one pot wonders can be anything from casseroles to stews. My favorite one pot wonder though are soups. Soups are a perfect place for leftover meats, fish, rice, pasta, vegetables and herbs.

In addition, hot soups are great to enjoy in the cooler fall and winter months as well.

Happy Savings,

Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Food Ideas for 9 month old baby

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 01:09:00 GMT

Recently a friend of mine asked me, “What types of foods are you preparing for your 9 month old daughter”? As I responded to her, I thought about how many times I have been asked that question and how many new moms appear to be a little confused about what to feed their babies at this time. It is a perplexing time. Although mother’s milk and formula are still very much staples in your new baby’s diet, there is still a lot that your little one should not have. The gradual introduction to new foods, potential allergies, food safety and possible choking hazards are all things that need to be taken into consideration.

Over the next five days, I will track my daughter’s dietary conquests and culinary explorations. Of course, only you, your baby’s pediatrician and your baby can determine what is best to eat. But, my hope is that other parents will find inspiration and maybe even share some of your ideas as well. In the interest of saving money, all of the food is prepared at home. In the interest of food safety, I only use the freshest ingredients, food is pureed or mashed according to your baby’s stage of development and any food portions that have already been noshed on should be thrown away. Oh and just so you know, my baby does not have any teeth yet.

Day 1 (9/27)

Breakfast: Mixed fruit melody with infant oatmeal and mother’s milk

Lunch: Roasted chicken pieces, avocado and chickpeas

Snack: Applesauce mixed with plain yogurt (full fat variety)

Dinner: Roasted chicken, corn, chickpeas mixed with yogurt

Happy Savings,

Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

The Early Bird Gets the Savings

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:24:00 GMT

Sale papers come out about once a week. There are probably some sitting on your countertop or mailbox right now. You are probably thinking…” I will wake up on early on the weekend and leisurely head to the grocery like I usually do”. While that may sound like a good idea, it may not be to your benefit. I too have had to adjust my grocery shopping schedule to get the best selection on store savings. If I don’t, all my fellow suburban moms grab and get all the best selections before I have even had the opportunity get a morning cup of my usual green tea. This is especially true for limited times offers and store freebies. If you are thinking… I can’t possibly do my grocery shopping during the week consider this; you don’t have to do all of your shopping during the weekdays. You can pick up just a few items on your way home from work. If your local store is offering buy one get one free deals or any other freebies, get to the store as quickly as you can. Although some grocery stores offer rainchecks when an item is “out of stock”, some sales operate on limited quantities and rainchecks may not be offered. So what did I do today? Well, I headed to the grocery store of course. Today is Friday, but my local Target store has a special on eggs. With my coupon, one dozen eggs were free!

Happy Savings,

Lisa- 21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Fall Harvest

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:44:00 GMT

It's that time of the year again. Besides boots, sweaters, cardigans and jackets...it is also time for pumpkins, winter squash, apples root vegetables and leafy greens. These foods are true representations of the fall season. Use this time to sample their peak flavor. Ofcourse, when you eat what is in season, you save money as well. Harvest those savings!

Happy Savings,

Lisa-21 SmartWays
www.21smartways.com

Dinner Tonight

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:33:00 GMT

Get half off at Charlie Palmer Steakhouse, tonight only. You have to play by the rules though. I have eaten there once before and the food was great!

Rules:

Buy and print certificate
Make reservations

Check out this link for more details: http://spotlight.opentable.com/deal/washington-dc/dc1?utm_source=i&utm_campaign=da3&utm_medium=email&nmbly=true&spMailingID=3146734&spUserID=MTgzNTU4NDI1NTQS1&spJobID=97074656&spReportId=OTcwNzQ2NTYS1

Happy Savings,

Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Warehouse Membership Shopping

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:23:00 GMT

Now, why would I pay for a warehouse membership card again? I t still does not suit my family. See my articles Warehouse Membership Shopping Part 1 and Warehouse Membership Shopping Part 2 . For the third year in a row, I will take advantage of the 60- day free trial membership that BJ’s offers. The great thing about this opportunity is that if you time it just right, you can coincide the free trial with the holiday season. That’s just around the corner by the way.

Click for your savings today

Happy Savings,

Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Check Prices, Receipts, Save Money

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 00:16:00 GMT

Check Prices, Receipts, Save Money

Tellers, cashiers, computers…basically, anyone that handles your money can make a mistake. This is why it is ultra important to check all your receipts all the time. You will be surprised by how many mistakes you might find and how much money you can save. But what if I told you, there is a way to prevent many of these mistakes from costing you money. That’s right…a cashiers’ mistake does not have to cost you a dime if you just pay attention. While shopping, it is important to not only look at the prices of items, but also to commit prices to memory if you can. Even if you do not remember the exact price of an item, knowing the general price point will make it easy to spot a mistake once you get to the check out.

In order to notice a discrepancy in price you have to pay attention. I know…your cell phone is ringing, the latest gossip magazine is calling your name and what that other customer has in her cart are all things that can divert your attention. What is she doing with all those rutabagas anyway? But really, you are losing money here. On a recent trip to the grocery store I noticed that the clerk rang up each of my 3 cans of corn for more than twice the amount that they were marked on the shelf. Now firstly, if I did not remember the price of the corn, I would not have realized that there was an error. Secondly, if I had not been paying attention to the clerk as he was ringing up my items, then I would not have noticed that there was a difference in price.

I immediately notified the cashier, who alerted the manager and resolved the inconsistency immediately. Not only did this save me money, but because I realized a mistake was made while I was still in the line, I saved time too. Who wants to come to the realization that you overpaid for an item after you have already left the store. If that happens, you have a few choices:

You can either waste time and gas by driving back to the store immediately to resolve the issue.
Put the receipt in a drawer or other place for safe keeping so that you can deal with the issue another day (of course, later on in the week when you look for the receipt you may discover that you have misplaced it).
Or just forget about it and absorb the loss.

After all, it is only a couple of bucks anyway. But as we know, a couple of bucks can add up rather quickly. If however you did not know this, you now do. Go on and be a beacon of “savings knowledge” to others.

Happy Savings,

Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

It's Not Too Late

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:27:00 GMT

Did you take your last dip in the pool, drive your last long road trip and attend your last summer social this Labor Day weekend for the summer? Well, I hope you did. Let’s hope you did not forget about all those Labor Day and end of summer sales either. If you did, there is always next year…just kidding because there is still time! Many stores extend their sales beyond Labor Day. Even if you don’t get the Labor Day sales there are still end of season clearances. So take advantage, it’s not too late. There is still a little bit of summer and some summer savings left!

Happy Savings,

Lisa- 21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

More Than Just Extra Cheese

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:17:58 GMT

Are you craving some pizza? Well, thanks to the delivery option that many pizzerias have, you could be eating a warm slice in 30 minutes or less. But are you aware that you may be incurring a delivery fee along with your extra cheese? Many major chain pizzerias charge delivery fees not readily apparent to the customer. So when you call to order your next pizza, inquire about the delivery fee. It is usually no more than a few bucks per order. If you are really strapped for cash, consider skipping delivery all together and pick up your order. As a bonus you will get to pocket the tip as well.

Happy Savings,
Lisa- 21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Summer Savings

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 03:33:00 GMT

As a new mom, I am constantly looking for ways to cut costs on everything from diapers to baby food. A friend recently “clued” me in on an amazing way to save some cash. She recommended that I use these current seasonal clearances to purchase summer clothes for my baby for next summer from now. After I wrapped my mind around the fact that my little infant would not be that small forever, I quickly followed her advice. Now that I think about it, I have used this concept to shop for myself for many years. I use seasonal clearance to stock on summer and winter basics. Fortunate for me, my clothing size has stayed pretty consistent from year to year. In this case, I would just “fast forward” and buy my daughter’s clothing a bit larger…essentially buying “a year up”. The key is to put the clothing in a place where it is easy to find so that a year from now you can reap the rewards. So, organization is definitely key!

Happy Savings,
Lisa- 21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Time for a Little R&R

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:51:00 GMT

I had a sandwich today for lunch and it was quite delicious. As I bit into its simple goodness I could not help but think that it was a "recession resistant" food.

Here are some of my top picks for "recession resistant" foods:

1. Peanut Butter
2. Jelly
3. Pasta (dry)
4. Flour
5. Potatoes
6. Fruits and Vegetables ( in-season or canned)

If you have not figured it out yet, I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Add these R&R ingredients to your grocery cart and make your dollar stretch.

Happy Savings,

Lisa- 21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Restaurant Week

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:57:00 GMT

Saving money can sometimes mean cutting back on extras like dining out. However, cutting back does not necessarily mean cutting out.

Here are a few restaurant weeks this summer; pop into one near you and experience great savings and awesome food!

New York Restaurant Week
July 12-25

Boston Restaurant Week
August 15-20, 22-27

Washington DC Restaurant Week
August 16-22

For a full list of restaurant weeks throughout the year and across the nation check out the new e-book "21 Smart Ways to Save Money Now" on our website.

Happy Savings,
Lisa- 21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Don't Blow It

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:04:00 GMT

Are you still using incandescent bulbs? If you are… you are wasting time, energy and ultimately money. Time is being wasted because you will spend more time replacing these standard bulbs over the course of your life (fluorescent bulbs last longer). These bulbs “blow out” all the time. Energy is being wasted because incandescent bulbs are less efficient. A 15-watt fluorescent bulb can produce the same amount of energy as a 60-watt incandescent bulb! Also, although fluorescent bulbs are more costly initially, over the course of the life of the bulb you will definitely save more money. So be wise and don’t blow it.

Happy Savings,
Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Healthcare Reform

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:31:26 GMT

Do you really want to save some money on healthcare...? Well get on the move! Studies show that people that exercise have decreased chances of diabetes, hypertension, cancer, depression and other diseases. Not to mention, you can save money on medication and clothes too.

Happy Savings,
Lisa- 21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

The Heat is On

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:26:00 GMT

Well summer is in full swing and so is the heat. But does your will to cool off wreck your budget? Try some of these simple tips to lower your electricity bill:

Close your blinds and curtains in the direction of the sun’s rays
Save your chores such as using the dishwasher, vacuuming and washing your clothes for the evening when the sun has already set. Using these items during the day will only make your air conditioner work harder.
Turn on that fan! Your air conditioner can use all the help that it can get.

Happy Savings,
Lisa- 21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Pop goes the 4th

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:02:00 GMT

Independence Day is fast approaching and what a great opportunity for you to "pop" into stores for great savings. Furniture, clothing and grocery stores are giving consumers many opportunities to save. For example, now is a great time to stock up on summer produce such as summer corn for the best savings and great quality. I have been doing this for many years. In the cooler months I take out my frozen corn and use it in soups and chowders for a great warm pick me up. So "pop" in to a store near you and take advantage of these terrific holiday savings!

Happy Savings,
Lisa- 21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Going Back to Basics

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:55:00 GMT

Do you remember when life was more simple? Restaurant menus had fewer choices, there were less television channels to “surf” and less choices at the grocery store? Another thing you may have noticed is that things were also less convenient. But times have changed haven’t they? We have quickly become a society of convenience. Have you noticed that when life was more simple that you also spent less? Nowadays, you can buy your cheese already grated, your crust already removed from your bread, your eggs already boiled and your pancakes already made. All this, from the convenience of the refrigerator or freezer section of your grocery store!

Well, you may have noticed that with this added convenience also comes added expenses. So if you really want to save money go back to basics. Reconstitute your own juice beverage (frozen concentrates), grate your own cheese and remove your own bread crusts. I still can’t believe that the product “Uncrustables” exists.

Happy Savings,
Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com

Shoot Up for Less

Lisa - 21 Smart Ways — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:54:00 GMT

It is officially the flu season. Have you received your flu shot yet? If not, here is something to consider: Why not shoot up for less? Before you run to your doctor's office check your local county or health department website first. They just may be offering the shot for free to county residents or at a discounted rate. If not, don't forget to check your local grocery stores and pharmacies. Some establishments offer special coupons and/or discounts for a limited time to patrons as an added incentive. Isn't time you got your shot?

Happy Savings,
Lisa-21smartways.com
http://www.21smartways.com/