Easy money saving tips for the family!

While I am at work my brain is consumed with ways to meet the budget, save money and think outside the box to make up for the big purchase I just had to make. Nobody wants to go over budget. Nobody. Unfortunately for my husband who loves to spend money, these same money saving thoughts that consume my brain at work also consume my brain at home.

We work way too hard for our money to throw it away. I have learned a few tips and tricks in my days that have really helped me save. Now, I'm not saying I use these tips all the time- but I sure try. Try them, maybe you will do a better job than me.

1) Use what you have. Why go out to dinner when you have already gone grocery shopping and have enough food to cook dinner? Resist the going out to eat temptation. This is very hard, but also very possible. Check your pantry before you go grocery shopping. I have about 5 containers of garlic salt because I kept forgetting to check before I bought more. I wasted approx. $5.

2) Make a family budget. There is a lot of free online budgeting tools. Or you can ask for Quicken for Christmas (that's what I did- thanks dad!) I budget everything down to diapers and dog food. Stick to that budget. I give myself a certain amount of money for going out to eat, or even "play" money. When that money is gone so is my going out to eat privileges for that week and misc. activities like going to the movies. Man, I sure hate when that money is gone.

3) Re-evaluate your cell phone/cable plans. I was with my cell phone provider for about 5 years when I finally realized I was getting ripped off and paying way too much. I ended up going with a family plan on my husbands provider and was able to save $40/month!! - examine how many minutes/texts your actually using, do you really need all that you pay for? I have also been known to call my cable provider and ask for a discount for being such a loyal customer. Right now I am saving another $35/month due to my sweet negotiating skills with the cable guys. Tracy-1 Cable company- 0.

4) Use online coupons. I would rather shop all day online ANY DAY than step into a mall. I even have my credit card number memorized in case I need it real quick for a special last minute deal on amazon. Pathetic, I know. However before I buy I always google a coupon (then again I google everything). I almost always find free shipping, or percentage off coupons. Try it!

5) Look online for deals before you subject yourself to the mall. Most of the time you can find items online at a much better cost. The top items I have found cheaper online are: books, movies, most electronics, diapers, most electronics, and wipes.

6) Become a pro at the need/want thought process. Really take a moment to go through the thought process before you make a big purchase. Unless it's one of those great 24 hour deals on amazon, then just go ahead and buy it. I kid, I kid. (kind of). But seriously, you don't need everything that's on sale.   My husband has been asking for a new 60 inch TV for about 2 years. There is continually great sales on them . Guess what? We have a perfectly fine, nice flat screen- sorry pops, no new flat screen for you. Things come on sale all the time. Move on folks. Move on.

7) Make it automatic. Before we even see my husbands paycheck a certain amount goes into a savings account out of state, we only access this money during emergencies only. It's so much easier to save when you never even see the money to begin with.

8) Get a programmable thermostat (and use it).  Make your house cooler/warmer when your gone and sleeping depending on the season. This will seriously save you a lot of money. I have heard it can save you about 25% on your bill and I believe it! Now, I don't know how to work my thermostat, so you may need a very smart husband for this.

9) Buy generic when you can. Almost all generic brand food and medicine is the same as the name brand. Trust me, generic diced tomatoes taste the same as the name brand. I buy almost all my groceries generic and I am pretty sure that how I am able to grocery shop on a crazy budget.  Insert blog shout out here----Feed your family on a budget

10) Sign up for a warehouse membership- I have a Costco membership for $55/annually. You don't have to only buy bulk food at these stores (although that's fun too) Gas at Costco is MUCH cheaper than anywhere else nearby, you can also find clothes, or home goods for a great price. YOU MUST BE CAREFUL USING THIS TIP. It is also very easy to go into Costco and come out with 50 items you did not need. Use tip #6 when in Costco.

You are now rich! Well maybe not, but wouldn't that be cool? What easy money saving tips work for you and your family?

Tips for traveling with kids

My husband works for Southwest Airlines (woot woot) which means we are very fortunate to travel basically anywhere we want for FREE. I can't complain, it sure is nice. He's a keeper. There is one thing I can complain about- traveling with kids. There is really nothing too fun or exciting about it. I have become very brave at times and completed my fair share of traveling with my little nuggets, here are a few things I have learned to make things a bit easier on mom, dad and munchkin. 

1) The number ONE life saver when traveling with a child age 3+ is an Ipad. Download some fun apps, pay for Netflix and your golden for a a few solid hours. I really don't condone my son playing on his Ipad for long lengths of time . .HOWEVER if we are in any sort of aircraft, and he is playing quietly on his Ipad- go to town son. Go to town.

2) Dumdum lollipops- call me crazy that I am saying give your child candy on a plane. These suckers work at keeping a kid quiet (no pun intended). Xavier could suck on a dumdum lollipop all day long- these are also great for bribing: "Close your eyes on the airplane for 1 hour and you can have a lollipop." . .this works every time and normally the kid is so tired from all the excitement of flying that they pass out for 2-3 hours. Win!

3) Coloring books- Once your kid is on a nice sugar high from the lollipops and is sick of the games on his/her Ipad, take out some good ole fashion coloring books. These entertain my kids for hours!! Teach them how to draw inside the lines and they will be concentrated on those lines for awhile!

4) For our little infant nuggets travelers: Squeezable food: Anything an infant can squeeze in their mouth they will love. These are also very easy to carry along with you as they don't take up much space. Charlotte can stay busy with a tube of gogurt all afternoon.

5) Also for your infant: Put a little "Baby Einstein" on YouTube on your Ipad and let her be mesmerized. Seriously, Baby Einstein is genius (no pun intended, I'm on a roll with these puns) I don't know what it is about cheesy, creepy puppets, classical music, and big pictures of elephants and guitars . .but it works and I will take it.

6) If you can take a red eye flight that travels to your destination throughout the night DO IT! Your babies will sleep the whole way, you may get an ounce of sleep and everyone will be happy- this is for sure a WIN.

7) Snacks, snacks, snacks, snacks, snacks, snacks: I can not say enough times to bring enough snacks. Mix it up, bring fruit, goldfish, cheeze its, and cheerios. It's nice to have a wide array of snacks to offer when your kids are in the middle of a massive meltdown and the entire airplane cabin is staring at you. Trust me, this does happen.

8) Be the first ones on the plane and the last ones off. Sit as close to the back as you can without having to smell too much of the airplane bathroom. Other passengers get very annoyed when they are waiting behind you, your bags, and crazy kids to board or get off the plane. Be respectful and know that you and your family are going to take more time to get settled then most.

What are some travel tips you have for traveling with the wee ones? I'd love to hear them!

Life after kid #2

Ever since I was approx. 7 years old I have wanted to be a mother. Not just a mother of 1 or 2 kids, more like 6-8 kids. I don't exactly know if I have my husband sold on 8 kids . . .it's a work in progress. Put in a good word for me, will ya?

Everyone told me that after baby #2 I would not want anymore. Here is what I have learned. The good, the bad, the ugly.

1) Baby #2 does a NUMBER on your body. It's not pretty ladies. I believe my hips grew 2 inches in size, I achieved 15 more stretch marks, and my pooch is never going away. It also may help not to gain 35-55 lbs per pregnancy.

2) My nuggets are 3.5 years apart, I originally wanted them close together but I am VERY glad I waited. It's nice to have only 1 pooping their pants and puking down my shirt. It is also nice to have my son step up to his role as "big brother" and help out. "Xavier, can you get me a diaper? "Xavier, can you get me a bib?" "Xavier, can you get your sisters shoes?" "Xavier, can you put your sister to bed and grab mommy a beer?" . .I kid I kid.

3) The first 3 months with a infant and bigger kid is tough, grueling work. I reccomend having a live in nanny during this time. However, if you can not afford a live in nanny like myself, make sure you have an amazing husband. These 3 months you will just be trying to adjust to life with 2 kids on different nap/eating/sleeping/playing schedules. You will not sit down, you will not sleep, you will not shower . . .somehow I always found time to eat. Shocking.

4) Sending your 2nd child to daycare while you head back to work. Is just as hard as it was with the first. This part I am guessing never gets easy. Unless you start your day with a major meltdown or diaper blow out, a this point sending kids off to daycare is easy peasy.

5) Baby number 2 will most likely be nothing like baby #1.  They will probably be polar opposites. Xavier would always listen on the one stern "No". Charlotte is the most stubborn, mischevious, impatient child in the greater Broomfield area You tell her  "no" she does what she was doing 10X as bad.

6) One child will have a melt down over not having a spiderman bike while the other is crying because you won't let her suck on keys. Each child melting down at once will happen. There will be a lot of screaming, a lot of crying, a lot of kids throwing themselves to the floors. Walk away, ignore and go have a glass of wine. They will stop eventually.

7) You will have little to no privacy or "you" time. Have to go pee? Guess what, your kid is following you in the bathroom. Have to cook dinner? Guess what, your baby will be pulling on your leg to hold her. Want a bath? Guess what, so do your 2 kids. Get use to it, you got another 18 or so years until it's "you" time.

8) Kid bedtime will be one of your best friends. Enough said

9) It's OK to ask for help. You are not a bad mom. You are not a bad wife. You are busy, you are going nuts. Ask your husband for a hand will ya?

10) Continue to find time to spend with your older child alone with no baby distraction. Make him/her feel important, like they are still your little baby. When Charlotte goes to bed there is nothing I'd rather do than cuddle Xavier and talk to him about his day.

11) Continue doing all the things you did with just 1 kid when you have that second. Like going out to dinner? GO! Get out and do things with your kids, they will love it to. It will be crazy and you may want to rip your hair out- but it does get easier, I promise!

Given all these things I have learned. I have also learned that I love the craziness of my household, I love how loud my house is, I love being busy with my kids, I love spending my time with them,  I love watching them grow, I love to love them, and I love that they have each other in this crazy life.

A second child has only made me want to fill my house with more. I was made for this. I got this.

What lessons have you learned after your 2nd child?

3 day cold sore

Ever since I can remember I have been getting cold sores, fever blisters, nasty painful sores call it what you want. I get em. I normally get them once -twice a year, when I'm stressed, get too much sun, or when my skin is extra dry in the winter.

See that cold sore below my lip- Cute dress, cute hair, cute lil smile. Ugly as heck cold sore.

I feel the tingle and I get scared. It's time for my semi annual cold sore. I've tried everything to get rid of these suckers, but they normally last 7-10 dreadful days. I've tried the following:

• Abreva: Blah. This takes away the pain but that's about it., and for $20/microscopic tube. No thanks.
• Carmex: Blah. Takes away the pain. Does absolutely for my cold sore
• Popping the blisters. You need to do this carefully. One time I did this and received the worlds biggest cold sore covering my entire chin in return. A cold sore is a virus and if the popping is not done carefully the virus will spread. I repeat, the virus will spread!!!
• L-Lysine: I heard that taking L-lysine worked, so I would take 3/day . .this did absolutely nothing- you must take MUCH more.

I haven't had a cold sore in about 2.5 years. I thought the birth of mu daughter must have magically cured me from my cold sores forever. Man, I live in a fantasy world sometime- they came back alright. This cold sore time around I believe I found the quickest cure! I am on my third day and it's just about gone. Follow the steps below.

• When you feel the tingle immediately pop 3-4 L-lysine pills. L-Lysine can be found in the vitamin isle. This will be a gift from above for you during these 3 days. 

• Go out and buy some Quantum L-Lysine +. This is about $10, I found it at my local Walgreens. Day one of cold sore, apply this like CRAZY. It will relive the pain fast and start working right away to diminish your sore. The box says apply every 2 hours, I applied it every 30 mins or so- just go ahead and glob it on, don't be shy. The first day your cold sore will be noticeable and people will stare at it. This is the day my husband looks at me and cringes inside. I hate this day.
• During day one take 5000mg of L-lysine spread throughout the day. Most L-Lysine tablets come in 500mg, so take about 3-4 before each meal. If you feel like your taking too much then you are probably taking just enough.
• Repeat these steps on day two and day three. Your cold sore will pretty much skip the crusted over scabbed over, nasty phase and just start to get smaller and smaller on its on. Take the L-lysine pills until your cold sore is completely gone. 

That's it! There is no popping, picking, creating sketchy concoctions, or spending too much money on products that don't work. This has worked for me and I hope it does for you too!

What are tips or tricks you have found to work? Please share, I'd love to hear!

Christmas Tree perfection

I am obsessed with many things in this lil life of mine. Let's name a few; my kids, Christmas trees, and pictures. Each year I have this GRAND vision of a magical picture in front of the tree. And low and behold . .continuous epic fail- every single year! This year I was determined to change this.

I am NO photographer (and I mean NO), but here are a few tips on how to take a picture in front of your Christmas tree to look like this.

• I got my kids in the bath, into their warmest jammies and made them plain ole' happy and relaxed. I then bribed my son with candy to take a nice picture with his sister. 
• You must have every light in the house off. Turn off the TV and close the blinds- the only light should be from the tree
• Put your ISO as high as it will go, set the aperture at f 2.8, and shutter speed at 1/30.- BAM you're almost ready!
• Put those little wild nuggets in front of the tree and somehow make them sit there and NOT touch the ornaments- this will be the hardest part.
• Snap away (as quick as you can, those kids will move quick)!!!

My picture isn't perfect- but I think it captured the moment, the tree, and love between my son and his sister pretty well.

Now it's your turn to give it a try!!

Family Winter fun

One of the many reasons I moved to Colorado was to experience all 4 seasons. Growing up in Maine, winters were brutal. You barely want to leave your house. I am so lucky being in Colorado you really get to enjoy winter- There is a frigid blizzard one day and the next people are outside walking their dog in flip flops. This is no joke. My husband just put on his flip flops on to go to Panera Bread. It's December 5th. My point exactly.

I love finding new things to do with my family on weekends. As much as my husband just wants to sit down and relax on a cold (or warm) winters day, there will be none of that in my house. You don't have to stay inside all winter and watch TV- get out there and enjoy this beautiful season with your family, or even find indoor activity to keep those young minds busy!

1) Go sledding. I have done my fair share of sledding in my day and trust me, the best sledding occurs right after it snows.  Find a local big or small hill, put on your warm bib snow pants from 1999, strap on those LL Bean boots, find a sled and hit the hills!! This is a favorite childhood memory of mine, your kids won't forget it. I don't really know who has more fun sledding, my kids or I? According to the this picture, I definitely have more fun. I swear your kids will like sledding- we just had a slight melt down here.




2) Go ice skating. Now, I'm not talking about going to your local rink- that's lame. Feel the real ambiance- Go somewhere outside. Here in Colorado the lakes don't freeze too great, so we go to a man made outside rink (I know of one in Boulder and one outside the Flatirons Mall) In Maine, we would go to the local ponds- this is ideal.



3. When you pass one of the 15 Starbucks down that 1 mile road. Stop. Go inside. Sit down, relax, and pay for a very over priced hot chocolate. This is such a special (and expensive) treat for the wee ones. Plus, I love every time I can justify stopping for a latte when I have 18 K-cups sitting at home- this is one of those times.

4. Pack up the car and go cruise around the suburbs to look at Christmas lights. I like to do my research and find the best places in Westminster to go (you can google this) I make a little map and proceed to ordering my husband around Westminster Colorado to the coolest homes. I also like to blast Christmas music way too loud to really get in the spirit of things.




5.  Go to a local museum or aquarium. Winter is the perfect time of year to take advantage of those inside activities. Go on a nice cold day when it may be too cold to have the kids outside for too long.

6. Spend an entire day baking. I like to get Xavier involved when I cook. He gets a real sense of pride when he gets to help make something that he then gets to eat later. This also give me the opportunity to use my kitchen aid mixer that I seem to only use for my chicken shredding. Seriously? How did I justify buying one? I don't even bake.

7. Go outside and play in that snow! Guess what? If there is snow, you bet I am making the best of it.  I really enjoy keeping my husband company while he shovels the driveway by, building a fort, making a snowman, having a snowball fight, or making a snow angel. I kid, I kid, I help shovel. . .for about 34 seconds.

8. Build an indoor fort. What better time to make a complete mess of your house? I mean, you will have all the time in the world to clean it up when your stuck inside during those snow storms. Building a quality is really an art. I personally don't have that art. I get impatient and just throw blankets on top of the couch. Xavier thinks this is lame and now turns to daddy for help.

9. Have a movie night. Put on your favorite Pj's, make some popcorn, let your kids pick the movie, cuddle up and watch the entire movie. Yes, I mean start to finish . .with kids. I know, call me crazy- but having a movie night really is fun and can be done!

10. Make arts and crafts.  The last thing I am is crafty. But I sure like trying. Find a cool winter craft and spend an afternoon helping your kids create it. Make a mess, have fun, attempt to be creative and stay warm. Does it get better?










What do you like to do with your family during those cold winter months? Having fun doesn't have to cost much money! Get out there and enjoy your surroundings!

Preparing for family pictures

My brother in law is a professional photographer who happens to be AMAZING. This now means I am addicted to professional family pics- literally it consumes my brain. I think about places to go, outfits to wear and poses I want. I am sure my husband DREADS when I say "Don't make plans this weekend, we have family pics." This means he has to shave, wear something uncomfortable, and go crazy thinking about pictures with 2 wild nuggets.

Listen folks, if you have a couple hundred bucks ready to be spent, spend it on pictures! What better thing to spend it on than capturing these moments with your family?

This past weekend was our semi annual family picture day. My brother in law suggested we go to Red Rocks which was PERFECT! Our pictures came out amazing thanks to Hugo's eye for perfection. But below are a few tips that might help you find that perfect look you are looking for.

1) Dress in similar colors/theme. Don't wait until the day of your photo shoot to pick out some cute clothes. I have found that the best pictures are when there is a consistent theme going on. I have noticed that keeping colors neautral/earth tones really focuses the attention on the family expressions.

2) Avoid patterns/pictures/words on shirts. Go simple. If you want a timeless family portrait, avoid clothes that are overly trendy at that time. You don't want people viewing your pictures to be distracted by what your shirt says- too many patterns just gets to be too much.

3) Bring a few different outfits along with you. If not for you, for the kids. Kids really enjoy throwing up, pooping through their pants, drooling chocolate out of their mouths etc and messing up only the cutest outfits you put on them. It is also nice to get a few different looks.

4) Bring tons of snacks/distractions with you. The only time Charlotte would smile in our pics was when we waved a puppet or keys in front of her. . .she was also pretty thrilled when we were stuffing her with goldfish to contain the happiness, or when we jumped around and made the dumbest noises on earth.

5) Bribe your kids with whatever means nessesary. By the end of the photo shoot, I'm pretty sure Xavier was on the road to getting a bunch of new superheros if he "smiled sweet". He has since forgotten about it. Now, I'm  sure if this is the best tip, but it works and in the end isn't that all that matters? Yes? No?

6) Think about the look you want to go for. Urban, rustic, country etc. I love a beautiful background, and living in Colorado we have many options. Do your research, go somewhere with a memorable back drop. Hugo has done some amazing family photos just walking around downtown Denver- who knew?

7) Do some research ahead of time and think about some poses you may want- share this vision with your photographer. A great place to admire different poses is searching for "family pictures" on Pinterest.

8) Schedule your photo shoot when your kids are their happiest. In my family, you don't mess with morning nap, or waking anyone up too early. This could be bad. Real bad. Our shoot was scheduled at noon, right after morning nap but before afternoon nap. Charlotte did start melting down right at the end, this was OK, we still managed a cute crying pic of her.

I hope this helps your family take un cheesy, timeless, classic family pictures. While your thinking about pictures, check out my brother's work @ hugovphotography.com . . .you won't regret it. He's the bomb.com (when was the last time yoy heard that? 1999? I thought so, I just brought it back)