A newsletter came home from school a few weeks ago that said that the average cost of the lunch that a parent sends to school with their child is $3.43. The newsletter's point was that school lunch at $2/ day was cheaper and nutritionally just as good as what a parent would send.

It got me to thinking about how much I was spending on lunch for Comfort and Joy. I was pretty sure it was less - and significantly less- but I've been working to quantify it. For those of you who know who much I enjoy math you'll get a kick out of this. Yes, I'm using Excel and because thankfully it's doing the math for me.

First of all, I took into consideration the items that go into their lunches everyday. My girls eat the same sandwich every day. I tried to mix it up at first but they're toddlers. They don't like a lot of variety.

Milk [organic] for both girls: $0.96
Juice [organic] for Comfort for snack time: $0.20
Bread [3 slices]: $0.10 [Joy only takes half a sandwich each day]
slice of cheese: $0.09
slice of ham: $0.06
Peanut butter: 0.01 [bought on sale and with a Kroger coupon so I paid $0.45 for a 16 oz. jar. It's lasted almost 3 months so far.]
Jelly: $0.01 [This may seem low but Kroger brand jelly on half a sandwich - the jar has lasted over 3 months so far. I probably have another 2 weeks left before I need more.]

So everyday costs are $1.43 total for both girls.

Then there are the other items I put in which aren't always consistent:
baby carrots: $0.07
fruit cups: $0.22
clementines: $0.47 [this is a whole clementine and they each get half]
Goldfish crackers: $0.10 [I stockup when they're on sale for $0.88/ bag]
cookies: $0.42

My plan for building their lunches is a vegetable or a fruit [not both] and crackers or cookies [not both] and I usually alternate who gets the cookies and crackers each day and there's only cookies twice a week - at most.

So the average cost for "others" is probably $0.65-1.00 at the high end and $0.25 -.45 at the low end. This is a total for both girls/ per day.

And, I don't want to forget the start up costs of their reusable BYO Lunch bags, fruit cups, and cool packs. The total for all of this was $18.49 which I divided by the 180 days of school so it comes to $0.10/ day.

So, how much does it cost me to make lunch for Comfort and Joy each day? I decided to take the most expensive option of 'others' [which would be cookies and fruit cup - not that I'd probably pick that option but there you go] and plug a $1 into the formula:
$1.43 for daily stuff
$1.00 for 'other'
$0.10 for start up expenses
$2.53 = how much I spend each day for two school lunches

Not only is this significantly less than the national average but I think I do a fairly good job of a) sending food that is good for them to eat and b) sending food that they'll eat.

What do you remember taking to school for lunch? What do you pack for your kids lunch? Have you figured out how much you spend on school lunch?

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One of the things I do to help our family budget is mystery shopping. You've heard me talk about this before but not, perhaps, in the context of Stewardship of Time.

In the past several years one thing I have had more of is time. As opposed to money:) Of course, I couldn't do a great deal with it because I always had Comfort and Joy with me but I had time on my hands. Literally. That's when I started trying to find ways that I could work from home while I watched the girls.

Mystery Shopping isn't a great option in this case because I have to have someone else watch the kids unless I find a meal Mystery Shop but that doesn't mean that these shops aren't useful to us.

But now that the girls are in school, remarkably, I actually have less time for the work I'm trying to do so I'm more careful about the mystery shops I take on. In September I took on too many and it was a little crazy. I intentionally backed off for October and I've only been accepting assignments slowly throughout the month.

One great thing about being careful about doing your reports is that companies learn when you are reliable and when they need someone they'll give you a call. I've picked up 3 shops this way in October alone. So, the calendar has changed drastically. At the beginning of the month I had one mystery shop scheduled [dinner for the family at a burger place]. As of now, I've also added:

• 3 grocery store mystery shops
• 2 cosmetic store shops [these are nice because they don't require a purchase!]
• Hardware store shop
• Pizza delivery mystery shop

I also have a long-term shop that is coming to completion by the end of the month. And there's still another week left, too. I might pick up some more. But I'll wait and see if it's something that I really need and make sure that it doesn't take up a huge amount of my time because now that I have less time I want to make sure that I use it carefully and wisely because being a good Steward is definitely a Cool Idea!

We're back at the beach with a friend visiting from out of the country. This time we don't have time to drive 10 hours away and rent a condo for a week. Instead we've driven 1 1/2 hours to the coast and we're camping. Not only are we saving money on gas, food, and lodging but we're taking advantage of resources that the Commonwealth of Virginia already owns.

Yep, as it turns out Virginia owns some of the best land in the area and has since the 1930's. This is a good reminder that not all campsites are privately owned or even part of national parks. States have their own park systems with camping facilities. Probably there's one near you or near where you might want to travel. Or just close your eyes and point and make that a fun destination for next year. It might just be your very next Cool Idea!

So, we've been away from home almost a week now and so far we've spent very little cash. How did that happen?

First of all we brought most of our food. As most families who vacation at all know it's cheaper to bring your own food as long as the food isn't going to go bad. The first place we stayed on the first leg of our trip had a full kitchen so we knew we could cook. They also provided our breakfast as part of our costs. [More on this in another post.]

We did have a couple of stops on the trip down for meals and we had to buy gas and there was a trip to the grocery. I did have some coupons to use at the grocery. Some of them I brought with me and some were from the free booklets that the hotel had in the lobby. Never underestimate the power of those free brochures!

But it's not just food that we brought. We brought DVDs for the girls to watch and we spend the rest of our time enjoying the beach, pool, and other stuff around the island that are free. We brought their snacks. I packed laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent and a dishwashing detergent sample I'd gotten in the mail. I know we'll want to go out and enjoy a meal later but we want it to be when we WANT to not when we need to because we just don't have anything in the room to eat.

And there you go. It's not rocket science but by rolling together a lot of Cool Ideas going away on vacation can be done without spending a lot of money. We'll explore some more ideas over the next few days so stick around!

It's back to school time and many states are having their Tax Free Shopping weekend right now. We're on vacation in South Carolina and Georgia but SC has Tax Free weekend right now so we'll be able to take advantage of some of the shopping even though we're missing Tax Free Shopping at home in Virginia.

If your state is having a Tax Free Shopping Holiday it really is in your best interest to make sure you know what is covered. You might just be surprised!

But, you say, you don't have any school aged children. Okay, so you'll just be able to stock up on some new clothes and maybe a pair of shoes. Here's where I say you should check out the approved list of items because in the Commonwealth of Virginia baby clothes and diapers are also tax free this weekend. Corsets are, too, even though I can't for the life of me figure out why.

So, check out if your state is having a tax holiday for back to school shopping and make sure you can take advantage of the list. You'd be amazed what is on the 'approved' back to school list because saving money, especially when it's the government's ides, is always a Cool Idea!

The power company contacted us this spring to let us know that our year in the Critical Peak Pilot program would be nearing an end and just before we left for the beach we received another letter to let us know we were done. They also included in that correspondence a spreadsheet with our savings for the year and information that the program should be rolled out as an option to everyone starting in 2010.

It was nice to see that we did in fact save money. I wish we'd saved more but considering that we had some significant hurdles - including renovating our bathroom in August last year - at a couple of points in the year we did very well. Overall, we saved $180. Personally, considering that we already do the basics - use CFF bulbs, turn off lights when we leave the room, use a programmable thermostat, use ceiling fans, etc, I wasn't sure how much savings we'd see. But by changing our habits some more we saved even more money and I'll definitely be signing up for the new program when it's rolled out in the new year!

If you are interested in how you can continue to lower your power bill and you already do all the regular things don't forget that most power companies will offer a free power audit. Also, it can't hurt to ask if they have plans for a program like the Critical Peak Pricing program. Perhaps if they have enough people ask about it they'll figure out it's a Cool Idea, too!

What does a typical week of surveys look like around here? I wish I could tell you. I should probably keep better track. I know that Jen has a tracking system. Me, I just wing it most of the time

But in the interest of really learning how much time and attention I was giving to the surveys I kept track for the past 2 weeks of the surveys that I have done. I've missed few. I know that, but here's a good idea of how many invitations I accepted. I say accepted because there were sooooo many invitations in the past couple of weeks that I just could not do them all. Also, I prioritize and do the ones that I know will pay the most. Maybe that's a discusson for another post.

Here's the listing:


SayNation: 5 invites/ 2 surveys


Lightspeed: 7 invites/ 4 surveys

Surveys.com: 1 invite/ 1 survey

Opinion Outpost: 4 invites/ 2 surveys

FocusPointe: 2 invites/ 2 screeners

SurveySpot: 4 invites/ 0 surveys [I only do surveys for $$ here]

Focus Forward: 1 screener invite/ 0 surveys

ValuedOpinions: 5 invites: 3 surveys [$9]

NPDOR: 2 invites/ 2 surveys

Mindfield: 6 invites/ 3 surveys [$3]

Focusline: 9 invites/ 0 surveys

Surveyhead:10 invites/ 2 surveys [$6]

Mysurvey.com: 2 invites/ 2 surveys [20pts]

Toluna: 4 invites/ 3 surveys [$3]

AmericanConsumerOpinion: 1 screener

SurveySavvy: 2 invites/ 0 surveys

ConsumerVillage: 1 invite/ 1 survey [$15 payout for project completion]

HarrisPoll: 1 invite/ 1 survey [50pts]

OpinionPlace: 3 invites/ 0 surveys

BrandInstitute: 1 screener


This was a very busy couple of weeks in my email-box. This time commitment brought in $21 in my accounts accruing and $15 in Amazon certificates [already in hand]. Some of these were lengthy surveys an some weren't. I haven't been good about tracking that yet but what I have begun to learn is that there is incredible overlap in the invitations. This is why you will get a lot of the declines!

What the time vs. money worth it? Right now I have time but I don't have money so I have to say it was worth it because it still allows me to be at home with the kids while they are small. But that's a decision everyone has to make for themselves no matter what they are doing. Whether you work outside the home or don't work at for money at all. Is it worth it to you right now? If yes, then you are good. If not, then you need to look at making some changes. Small changes maybe, but changes.



So, there you go. In the interest of accountability and as I try to make some money as a stay at home parent, I'm going to try to do a better job of tracking the invites/ participation/ points vs. cash earned/ time expenditure. Stay tuned for upcoming posts as I revisit this Cool Idea!

I've have posted before about my various Mystery Shopping adventures. One great way to pickup some wonderful gifts for people during the holidays is to combine this with Mystery Shopping.

Last year my Mother-in-law got a lovely jar of lemon curd from Williams-Sonoma and my mom got a fantastic jar of gourmet salsa and my best friend got a great paring knife. These items were purchased as part of my Mystery Shop. Sinclair Consumer Metrics was my first Mystery Shop company and in my area they also do shops for Pottery Barn, PB Kids, West Elm, etc.

These shops are popular, as you can imagine, so if you decide to signup you'll need to keep an eye on the schedule and sign up quickly once new shops open up. But I can say that these shops make great ideas for gift giving/ stocking up because they are for stores that people may consider to be 'treats' for themselves and that means that even finding some small treat can be special for them.

Another company that I have yet to get on the schedule for because of it's popularity is one that schedules the shops for Plow and Hearth gardening stores. I've also seen shops pop up for Brookstone. Right now I'm seeing a lot of Fashion Sunglasses shop requests. Mostly you won't know what stores the company 'shops' until you sign up unless you know someone who already works for them but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It might be something you kow you'll need or turn out to be a place you can pick up the perfect gift for someone you know.

So, start early and stock up on your gifts. Work the schedule well but make sure that you fulfill on the shops that you take. Mystery shopping for your holiday gifts is definitely a Cool Idea and one that we can all take advantage of!

I'm starting a series focusing on planning ahead for the holidays and I have my friend April to thank for making me think about it. First off, let me virtually introduce April. I met her about 5-6 years ago [wow, has it been that long?] when my team moved to a new building and our cubes were next to each other. She was away on her honeymoon when I arrived and when she got back I noticed that everyone came by to see her. She's the popular girl, I thought. I'm quiet and I keep to myself most of the time so she didn't think very highly of me. I was right about her. She is popular and also very nice. Thankfully she learned to like me:)

April, like many people, starts the count down for the holidays very early in the year because she loves Christmas. This year I'm looking at the holidays from the perspective of how we can make them meaningful with what we have around us. Whether that is time, money, services, food, etc.

We'll look at what we can do to prepare for our kids' holidays, as well as, their teachers and others they need to provide gifts for. Because this takes time, and in some cases, money we're starting now so that we don't break the bank or emotional budget. Come along for the ride and if you have ideas I'd love to hear them!

I first read this tip on another blog. I think it was a guest post on Frugal Upstate but I can't remember and I didn't copy the link and my toddler summer has kept me from going back to find it. Then Tia's Saving Cents posted and I had another source for a home pedicure solution.

I, too, ditch the socks as soon as the weather gets warm enough. Mostly this is so I don't have to worry about finding a matched pair out of my drawer. I don't know about you but after matching my kids socks the last thing I want to do is match up my own so I generally throw them in the drawer [whites on one side and darks on the other - my concession to organization] and then push it shut. Well, socks do have a function. They keep our feet from getting dried out and rough. Regular pedicures are not only a nice relaxing treat but they keep our feet in good shape.

But pedicures, unless you are a good shopper and able to take advantage of last minute deals at your local spa, can get pricey. So, let's be frugal and make our own homemade pedicure experience.

• 2 cups of warm water
• 2 cups of vinegar
• foot tub [I got mine at the dollar store]
• soak for 15-20 minutes

Once you're done clean and trim your nails, use a file to clean off the dead skin, and use another frugal find from your house to moisturize your skin - Vapor Rub! Slather up with Vapor Rub and put on some socks. Either go on to bed or leave on for half hour and then clean rub off toe nails and apply polish. Using the vapor rub each night with socks will continue to keep your skin nice and soft and at a fraction of the cost of a regular pedicure. Have a Girl's Night and you could even get the massage part! Frugal and Fun - Definitely a Cool Idea!

It's been a while since I've checked in with how I've been doing on my resolutions. There's just been so much else to talk about. I hope you've been able to see how it all connects though. But, in the spirit of accountability, here is a point-by-point post:

Here, again, were my resolutions:

1. Do a better job with coupons and pantry stockpiling.
2. Continue to find creative ways to cut expenses
3. Meal planning/ smart planning
4. Increase my income as a stay-at-home parent
5. Find ways to live smarter in the balance between frugality and the environment
6. [not sure yet but I feel like there's something still there to be explored - so I'm leaving room for one more]

So, #1: I'm still using The Grocery Game and according to the Kroger check out slip I'm averaging 45-50% off of my bill using coupons/ in-store discounts. It's not as great as seasoned, hard-core couponers but it's working for us right now. As for stockpiling we're doing great on Goldfish crax, TP, canned fruit, canned tomatoes, canned beans, and other assorted items we used less frequently.

#2: Cutting expenses has been harder since we'd already done a good job weeding through expenses in the past year but Cable gets nixed this month. The weather is nicer an we'll be spending more time together as family so no sense paying for staying in and watching TV. That'll save us $80/ month. I did notice that my newspaper subscription went up so I need to check out alternatives and see if there's a less expensive option. If not, decide if the savings at the grocery is worth the expense of the newspaper.

#3: Meal Planning/ Smart Planning: We definitely don't go out at the drop of a hat any more. I'm proud of that. I still don't have a handle on finding foods that Comfort and Joy will eat on a regular basis - other than pasta, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, quesadillas, etc - but then again they are toddlers. I've even toyed with putting the weekly menu plan here on the page so that it keeps me honest but then I'd really have to be ready each week and some weeks it's just not that well planned out;)

#4: This month I've had several good Mystery Shops!! I just finished 2 grocery store shops this week so I got some free groceries!! Two weeks ago I had a different kind of shop. It was a revealed shop, where I went in and checked out how the store had the products placed. I made under $10 for 15 mins work but it all helped. Also, I cashed in some points from My Points and Opinion Outpost. The survey points paid in cash and it was enough for the babysitter the day I got my haircut. The MyPoints paid in gift cards so I'll have enough for a good book from B&N and lunch at Panera. These are the ways that I've traded my time for money. Time I have while I sit with the kids and money I need:)

#5: It turns out that I think I'm more in tune with things in the environment than I thought I was. This isn't a bad thing. I've enjoyed the seasonal shift that meant that I had more time to do laundry and I've enjoyed that the Farmer's Market is open and the CSA is providing us with yummy good stuff. This week we opted for carrots that had gotten caught in a freeze. They aren't pretty since they split open but they'll taste just as good in a salad and they were half off. Comfort and Joy are pretty easy to please when it comes to things like this.

And now we're in the middle of May. Books are being read. Dinners are being cooked. Kids grow up. School is almost done. It's all amazing and definitely Cool. Hang on with me because we're almost half way through the year.

Here are additional sources that I don't have personal reference for but I'm going to go ahead and post. I'm sure they are great to work with they just haven't had anything available in my area that I've been able to do. 

• Intellishop
• Consumer Impact
• Sutter Marketing

Okay, you may have already noticed that a lot of the companies use the same database system, Sassie. The good news is that once you figure out once system you'll be able to better navigate the other company's sites. The bad news is that you might forget that you need to register at all of them because they are not linked together. Each company keeps their own information. 

Be patient. It might take a little while to learn which companies have the types of shops that you are really interested in in your area. Then you might need to learn which companies send you regular emails and which are ones that you need to go check on a regular basis. I get emails from all of them but I can tell you that I check Trendsource on a regular basis and I have rarely gotten an assignment there unless a previously assigned shop has fallen through and I was the backup. Those grocery shops go fast. The early bird gets the work!

I've been doing Mystery Shopping since last summer but it was a slow start. I had one company that I got several assignments from in the fall but that was pretty much it. Now I'm finding that you need to put your information out in a lot of different areas and be available as much as you can when someone is needed.

Some key things to remember:

1. This is a job. It may not pay great but in order to be asked to return you need to be professional even by email. Most applications will ask for a writing sample. Use correct punctuation and grammar. 
2. Doing a Mystery Shop is about being just that - a Mystery Shopper. You are not supposed to look like you are checking things out or taking notes. This can be hard because reports ask for very specific details. Be sure to check the reports before the shop to know what you need to detail and figure out how you will capture the data.
3. Follow the directions. Turn in your information on time. Fill out the information completely. Most companies have an internal shopper rating system and if you don't fulfill their requirements you can negatively impact your rating which can impact your ability to pick up future assignments.

Here are some a few more companies to sign up with:

• Market Force Information
• Sinclair Customer Metrics
• Trendsource

I've done fast food and fast casual food shops for Market Force, nice retail store shops for Sinclair, and retail and grocery shops for Trendsource. Each shop takes no more than 30 minutes on site but does take some prep time and some additional time to fill out the report. The payoff is that I got Christmas presents for my mom and mother-in-law for free, my kids bathroom rug for free, kitchen knives for free and several trips to the grocery for - you guessed it - FREE. Well, they were free because I stayed within the reimbursable amount. These companies don't hand you a blank check. Part of the instructions will be the shopper pay and the reimbursable amount, if applicable. The smart thing to do is to stick to the Price is Right Rules - get as close to the cost without going over - that way as little comes out of your own pocket. And there you go. Some more very Cool Ideas for ways to get some cool stuff for free. 

Mystery Shopping is a great way to be able to eat cheap or free with a little preparation on your part and some work on the back end it can be fun and a great way to get out and enjoy a night out with your family and friends without feeling the pinch in your wallet. 

I didn't do as well last month picking up Mystery Shopping jobs so this month I'm going to work harder. Where do you find mystery shopping jobs? I'm going to post some here this week and I'll point you to some other bloggers in different areas of the country that post their mystery shopping success. 

A lot of the companies have regional clients so Your Mileage May Vary. My first suggestion is to either decide that you're going to use your own email account or get a new (free) email account just for your mystery shopping jobs and make sure you are going to check it regularly. That means every day if you are going to be serious about picking up shops. I started slow and used my own private email to begin so I stuck with that and it works fine for me. Other's, like Carrie at Money Saving Methods uses a different email for each of her projects.

Here are a few sites to start with:

• Game Film Consultants
• ICC/ Decision Services
• BARE International

In my area Game Film does a steak restaurant chain. I picked up a shop from ICC for a wine warehouse and BARE does restaurants and banks. Mystery Shopping has been an extremely Cool Idea for me. It has allowed me to add to our income, cut expenses if we eat out on someone else's dime, and has a flexibility that allows sometimes allows me to include my family. Please make sure that you read the guidelines for each shop as some don't allow other people with you, but on the whole most restaurant shops want you to look like the typical diner. So, give it a start and see how it goes and I'd love to hear what you think.

1. Never
2. When you're out of underwear
3. When the teacher kindly asks if your kids need clean socks
4. During 'C' times as created by the power company which fall at different times of the day depending on the time of the year.

On any given day I might answer "All of the Above" but for the purposes of this post the answer is #4. Yep, this is the post I've been promising about how to save money on your power bill if you've done all the other things that everyone already knows to do.

First, check with your power company and see if they offer Critical Peak Pricing or if they are putting together a pilot program in the future. We got into a pilot program and here's what it consists of.

Our local power company changed out our old meter for a digital one and installed a new thermostat inside our home. The thermostat is ours to keep forever and it has several nifty and incredibly cool features.

1. It communicates wirelessly with the meter and the power company.
2. It allows us to know exactly how much power we've used at any time of the month and how much $$ we've spent
3. It shows us which price schedule we're in at each point of the day.
4. It acts as a regular programmable thermostat.

The point of the program is that the power company is willing to give us a better rate on our power if we are willing to use less power during Peak power times. The Pricing Schedule shifts a little bit as the seasons change - I've been spoiled this winter by being able to do laundry in the middle of the day because it was "C-time" which is the same as the middle of the night - but normally the cheapest time to use power is from 10p to 6am. 

There are some trade-offs with this particular program. We get a wonderful rate in exchange for taking a hit if we use more power in Critical Peak times, but these are limited to 125 hrs in the year and they are likely to all be between the hours of 1p-8p during the summer. We get notice on our thermostat when this will happen and we do what we can to minimize our power draw by unplugging unnecessary electronics, not using the oven, not using hot water, raising the temperature on the thermostat if it doesn't do it automatically (which it might), etc. 

For us, we decided the trade was worth it and it made us mindful of the power we are using. Now, regardless of what time of the year it is, I try to minimize the use of the oven and do as much baking as I can after 10p. All laundry is done after 10p. The dishwasher only runs after 10p. Do you sense a pattern? Personally, I'm hopeful that when the pilot ends in may that the program will continue. I think that helping the power company, and helping ourselves in the process, will help the environment, too. It's a start and I truly hope it's just the beginning of the new ideas coming from our power company because I want to be in the pilot program for solar power when they decide to roll that out too. hint hint. 

Does the idea of managing your coupons or finding them in the first place make your head explode? Or maybe it gets you jazzed. Either way there is a place for you and it's A Full Cup. I've been lurking around and learning the place for a few months and although I'm no expert I can tell you there are some wonderfully helpful women there. Check it out and play around there as they've just rolled out a 'new look'.

Today, is menu planning and grocery list day for me so I need to get that done but I was up way too late watching TV because we are getting rid of cable for the summer. Part of it is to cut our expenses and part of it is that we want to be intentional about spending more time doing other things as a family. So, I caught up on bunches of shows that I'd been waiting to see On Demand. Taking stock of our time as the seasons change is a Cool Idea. We don't need to be burrowing inside all day anymore. And if it gets too hot to be outside together we have plenty of movies we own that we can watch together as a family. Find what works for you and remember that you can always change your mind. The cable company is going to welcome you back in six months. I promise.

Let's revisit expenses since it's such a fun topic:) First there are the environmentally-friendly things that 'we' all know we should do at some point to help the world and our own pocket:

1. Lower the temperature on your hot water heater to around 120 degrees F. Not only is this good for your utility bill but it's also safer if you have small kids in the house since there's less chance for scalding.
2. Change out your incandescent light bulbs for CFC light bulbs. They'll last 8,000-10,000 hours and use 75% less energy. Wow!
3. Contact your utility company and see if there is a way to benefit from using non-peak time energy. We participate in a pilot program with Dominion Power in Central Virginia and get a great break in our power bill if we are aware of the times that we consume our power. [This is a huge topic so I'll re-address it fuller in a later post.] But seriously, it can't hurt to ask since many power providers around the country are looking for ways to cut their own expenses. Be the one to help them out and be the one to get the break yourself. 

So, these are some of the things we have already done around our house to cut our expenses. I can't claim them as new for the purposes of this forum but I will add another that I have been working on to see if it would work for us. 

You know I love milk. It's a huge consumable in our home and a corresponding expense. I also love to bake and it dawned on me that when I'm cooking and baking with milk I was removing our beloved milk from our mouths - literally. It was through reading a few of the frugal mom blogs that an idea - a classic Cool Idea - came to me to try. Powdered Milk.

I remember when my mom 'made' us drink powdered milk when I was little and I remember not liking it at all. I must admit that I have not tried it since. Not even now. I know. It's silly. But I have made up a quart sized bottle of powdered milk to keep in the fridge and I've been using this to make our muffins, or scrambled eggs, or whatever else we needed. No one, not even me, has noticed a change in taste. It's been great to be able to consistently know when we'll need milk - we go through 3 gallons a week just in drinking alone. And in that consistency we are keeping our expenses consistent as well. That is great idea and adding Powdered Milk to our life has been a wonderfully Cool Idea!

Most women over the age of thirteen have been on a diet at some point in their lives and have learned that the correct serving size of a protein (3 oz) is the size of a deck of playing cards. I have been paying attention to the size of the portions that I've been eating and over the course of the last six months I've lost weight this way.

But think about other things around the house - 

How big are your drinking glasses? I love to drink milk. Love it! Love it! Love it! And it turns out my glasses are 12 ounces. Milk is good for you and but since we only drink organic milk it gets expensive - so I make sure to pour myself less than a full glass.

Dental floss - it's always a Cool Idea to floss but the floss that I love is pricey and I'm picky. I make sure to not pull off more than I need each morning.

Laundry detergent - especially if you have a high efficiency washing machine you don't need a lot of detergent. Check the instructions on your machine but you can likely back off the amount you are using.

Same goes for dishwasher detergent. The amounts specified are to get us to use more detergent whether we need it to get our dishes/ clothes clean or not. Experiment with slightly decreased amounts and see if you notice any decrease in cleaning ability and if you don't, you'll save yourself some money along the way.

Toothpaste - I never noticed how much of my daily toothpaste I wasn't utilizing until I started using an electric toothbrush. These toothbrushes foam up the toothpaste so much more than I was used to that I nearly choked the first 5 or 6 times. I was  a slow learner!. Using less toothpaste each day makes the tube last longer.

Smaller portions are always a Cool Idea and they help cut expenses, too, since we can stretch the time between trips to the store. Oh, and here's one I'll throw in for free - never let a toddler unroll their own toiler paper. Therein lies madness. Enough said.

January 1st is traditionally the day to make resolutions. What are your resolutions this year? Have you made your list yet? Lose weight? Exercise more? At all? Read more? Write letters - on paper - with a pen? I've tried these and they usually work for me - for a while:) This year I'm going to work on activities that are Cool Ideas that I can revisit through the year. Here it goes.

1. Do a better job with coupons and pantry stockpiling. 
2. Continue to find creative ways to cut expenses
3. Meal planning/ smart planning
4. Increase my income as a stay-at-home parent
5. Find ways to live smarter in the balance between frugality and the environment
6. [not sure yet but I feel like there's something still there to be explored - so I'm leaving room for one more]

So, these are the main areas I'll be working on for myself. I can only hope that the ride will be useful and without too many hazards. There will probably be humor involved. Odds are this could get ridiculous at times. If so, you have my word you'll get all the details.

Sound interesting? I hope so. If not, stick around anyway because these topics won't be the only things you'll see here. Already the coupons are posted. Also, I'll be posting information about great freebies that I hear about, as well as, wonderful deals and information posted on other blogs. I'll do a quick recap and send you to their sites for the full info. No sense in killing bandwidth twice but there is some great stuff out there and I just want to make sure people can find what they want and need.

I hope to find some Cool Ideas we can explore and some Cool Ideas we can share because this is a journey we're on - and we're on it together.