it's even hotter in our wartime 'hot' spots around the globe.

I picked this up off another blog I read. It's good information so I wanted to pass it on:

The quilt guild she belong to makes quilts in support of The Quilts of Valor Foundation. The quilts are given to those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, they send them directly to Landstuhl in Germany. They received a letter this week from a Navy Chaplain requesting baby wipes for the Troops in Afghanistan. The temperatures in the field are soaring and the patrols are long with no showers, the baby wipes are a God send.You can find out all about the Quilts of Valor Foundation on their website http://www.qovf.org/

The address of the chaplain organizing this can be found by anyone interested on the blog of the shop she works at.
So, if you have any extra baby wipes coupons that you aren't planning to use or have some stockpile that you are willing to share. Please think about sharing.

This Saturday, May8th is Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Giving is easy. Put out a bag of non-perishable food by your mailbox and your mail carrier will pick it up.

Yep, just one more way to help others and help work your way through your pantry at the same time. Definitely a Cool Idea.

Don't forget that you can connect with Couponing for Community through Facebook and Twitter.

I had the great fortune to buy 40 pounds of organic Granny Smith apples for $25 last week and jumped at the chance. We all know that price doesn't come around every day. Of course the next problem was - what to do with them.

1. We pulled out the nicest and smallest for Comfort and Joy to eat. I say 'smalles' because these are lovely BIG apples. Most of them are bigger than both of my fists put together. The girl love apples and good, fresh fruit is expensive this time of the year so this is a nice treat.

2. I peeled, sliced and flash froze about 10 lbs. This fit in two gallon zip freezer bags and I'll use these for pies and for baking.

3. I made the Once a Month Mom Apple Streusel Muffin recipe, in it's full form, TWICE. The first batch is entirely mini-muffins for the girls because my toddler trial shows that they are more likely to eat the entire muffin if the good streusel topping is closer to the muffin. The second batch is two-thirds full-sized muffins which I'll used for book group and 1/3 mini-muffins for Comfort and Joy.

4. Applesauce! I've already have four quart put in the freezer from two batches of apples done in the crockpot. This recipe was easy - I filled the crockpot with apples - about 12 - and set it on low for 2 hours until they fell apart. Stir and allow to cool. I'd do more but Comfort isn't eating it and Joy doesn't need more fruit in her diet - if you get what I mean.

5. And I still have more apples!! Seriously. There's still about 8-10 lbs probably. So, I'm thinking apple butter.

I know that certain apples are better for making certain things but at this point I want to make sure I use these before they get mushy. Granted my kitchen is chilly [~65 degrees] but these apples won't stay crisp forever.

So, if you have any ideas for easy, inexpensive and easy to save things that I can do with these apples I'd love to hear it.

I had another grocery mystery shop Thursday night and since I consider the fee that I'm paid to be 'free groceries to me' I sometimes splurge on yummies that I don't otherwise usually buy. Like Chicken Salad from Ukrop's. This chicken salad is AMAZING. It's also expensive - $8.99 for 15 oz. See why it's a treat, but it's all white meat, and creamy and still full of flavor.

As a rule I try to remember to check out the manager's specials in each department. I also check out the dairy products that are being marked down because of their sell by date and I check the overstock/ seasonal racks. This is where I found my bonuses this week.

I'm not sure why baby products were on here but I'm appreciative. I got a refill packages of 128 Huggies Natural Care wipes which are usually $5.25 for $2 each. I picked up two. I also saw Boudreax's Butt Paste, the $4.25 tube, marked down to $1. If I don't need it then I can pass it along to someone or donate it to the women's shelter but it's just not allowed to pass up a deal like that! Seriously.

I also scored a handful of Knorr's Vegetable Soup Mix for $.75 which will make some yummy dip for later in the week. I hear there's a football game coming up.

I saved nearly $10 on baby products alone and no one has ever had too many baby wipes. So lesson to us all to make sure to make to at least make a pass by these random racks in your grocery store. You never know what you can score and getting stuff you need for a drastically reduced price is such a Cool Idea!

I've been waiting to tell you how this worked for us and I can now let you know that I LOVE USING HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT!

I was pretty sure that I would but I didn't want to say anything out loud - just in case. I'm still working on how much cheaper it'll be in the long run but already it's more fun and we're better at portion control per load than we were with store bought detergent.

If you've never thought about making your own detergent, really, consider it. It's super easy and it's good for you and your clothes. This way you can control what is in your detergent. I'm sensitive to scents and perfumes and this way I KNOW that my clothes aren't going to smell like anything that will make me sneeze. Also, this detergent doesn't suds a lot which is perfect for HE and front loading washing machines.

Here's the recipe I used, which I got from Jenn at Frugal Upstate:

1 Cup Grated Soap - I use Fels Naptha
1/2 C Washing Soda - Arm & Hammer makes the brand I found
1/2 Cup Borax

Mix together and use 1 Tablespoon per load. I did add some Oxi-Clean to each load as I finds that it helps with our toddler stains.

Here's the link to Jenn's laundry detergent video at Frugal Upstate what walks you through the process on how to make laundry detergent it in the food processor - which is exactly what I did.

For years I noticed that my local Kroger carried Fels Naptha and that's where I bought it last summer when I made my first homemade batch of detergent. This weekend when I needed another bar I noticed that my store no longer carries this product so I went to Soaps Gone Buy and found that it was on sale for $0.99 - so I stocked up!

The Fels Naptha will be the most expensive part of the recipe - at $0.99 at bar sale price or $1.75 retail - as this will make one batch. I have plenty of the other left in the boxes of washing soda and borax and might not have to buy any more for the rest of the year.

So just how far did I get on one batch of detergent? Just about 2 months. Personally, I think that's pretty good for a family of four that includes 2 toddlers. I probably do about five loads of laundry a week on average. I'll keep better track this next time and let you know but it's still a pretty Cool Idea!

We have a ton of snow on the ground. More than this part of Virginia has seen in over a decade and I can tell you that I didn't have to rush out to the grocery with everyone else on the planet.

Why? Because my freezers were full and I've been stockpiling.

Even though I haven't done a weekly grocery trip for anything other than perishables and baking items in almost a month we still have plenty in the pantry to get us through. I hope. Stay tuned an see how it goes.

This assumes that we keep power, too. If we don't then it won't matter how much I have in the freezer or stockpiled because I can't cook it anyway:) But mostly I know that we have enough food even if it doesn't all go together to make perfectly beautiful meals. Oh and we have toilet paper and diapers and milk and, I can bake bread, and all those other things that people run to the store for.

But still I'd like the snow to stop falling now. It's beautiful but we don't need anymore right now. Everything in moderation is a Cool Idea!

Just because the weather is getting cooler, and perhaps a tad wetter, don't forget about the bounty of produce that can be found at your local farmer's markets. Of course, this will vary depending on what part of the country you live in but here in Virginia we're seeing a resurgence of the greens - beautiful lettuce, arugula, basil, and swiss chard - as well as root vegetables like beet, turnips, and radishes. Beans, peppers and onions can still be found and since these veggies that can be 'put away' in a variety of ways buy bunches of them and freeze or can them. Potatoes, sweet and white, will keep in a cool/ dry place for quiet a while so you can stock up on these items as well.

And then there are the fall fruits that are coming in with apples being our favorite! Crisp and delicious and most markets have a bounty this time of the year. Take advantage of the great deals to buy local produce and make applesauce or apple butter. I made a crockpot full of apple butter last year and we're still eating it! It was both easy and delicious!!

This is also the time of the year to think about how to extend the summertime table into the winter months. Although we don't have to think ahead like our fore-mothers due to the advent of refrigeration and a grocery store in every town we all know that 'putting away', as our grandmothers called it, is not only cheaper but it preserves the freshness of the summer months of our local produce.

Now, I don't know how to do my own canning. My best friend does and I think she said she's put away over 40 quarts of tomoto products and 20 quarts of pepper of some sort. Then she did pints. Yep, she had a bounteous garden this year but then she decided it was enough. Personally, I'm about freezing things. I dice up and freeze onions and peppers. I've even frozen whole tomotoes which I learned you could do in Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. I also carmelize onions and freeze them.
Don't forget that you can make and freeze pesto. Use a ice cube tray to get 1 oz. portions then when you have cubes pop them out into a zip top freezer bag.

Well, there you go. So many ideas to get you started and so many Cool Ideas!

A huge thunderstorm woke us this morning so we didn't go out for morning of sun and fun and after watching an hour of cartoons it was clear that we would need to get out of the vacation house and do something before someone got hurt. So, we took advantage of the nearby outlet mall and checked out the Carter's outlet.

One good thing about the ages/ sizes of Comfort and Joy is that I rarely have time to put away clothes between seasons before it's time for the it to move to the next child. Comfort is oldest but Joy is very tall for her age so clothing moves from one to the other rather quickly.

Today I found a dress similar to Comfort's beloved and favorite dress on the sale rack. It was marked down from $20 to $5.99. I also found a two-pack of leggings on sale 50% off of the regular price of $18. I grabbed a cute patterned skirt for Comfort that was marked down to $3.99 and a 3-pack of cute socks for $5. Also on the sale rack was a pair of pink fleece lined 'sweat pants' for little girls that were marked down to $4. The socks were the only thing not on sale but I always buy plain color socks and these had cute designs so I figured it was a little bit of a splurge and even with this I spent less than $32 with tax.

Some of these items will be perfect as the girls head out to school this year. The dress is actually going to be 'stockpiled' for when the current dress gets outgrown. I'll put it in the dresser with other items that I buy 'ahead' when they are on sale. My next 'buy aheads' will be shorts for Comfort as the end of summer is coinciding with the inability to get her shorts to pull up easily anymore. Thankfully, shorts are likely to go on sale soon so I'll get some and put them in the dresser for next summer and we'll be ready for when the weather turns warm again.

As this is the last full day of our longest vacation ever we made lemonade out of lemons when the weather changed our plans making it impossible to enjoy the morning on the beach. Thankfully we were able to still be productive and better still - we were definitely had some Cool Ideas!

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.

If you haven't heard of the The Grocery Game you're going to want to limit your distractions right now and give this a good read. Then, because you'll find this is such a Cool Idea, give yourself some time to go to the site and check it out. I'm telling you upfront you're going to like this.

The Grocery Game is a paid list. The 4 week trial is $1 and after that it's $10 every 8 weeks. It compiles the advertised and unadvertised specials at your grocery and/ or drugstore -you can subscribe to more than one store in your area for additional fees - into a weekly list. The principle is that there is a 12-week cycle in grocery business and when you know the cycle - which The Grocery Game does - you'll be able to buy what you need when it is at it's lowest price.

Another feature is that The Grocery Game has already found out which items have coupons and how much that coupon will save you. Isn't this amazing! Now you won't need to dig through all of your weekly ads and your coupons to determine which to use each week - you have The Grocery Game to do it for you. 

The feature that I particularly like is that it's color coded. Yep, I am attracted to color and it makes the list easy to use. Items on the list in black are good prices. Buy them if you need them now.  Items in blue are great prices and are for stockpiling. Items in green are FREE and you only pay sales tax on them. Yep, FREE. Mostly these will be items on special or with coupons but it's not unusual for there to be FREE items on the list each week. 

Increasing the stockpiling of items that your family regularly uses will cut down on your need to buy the items when they are full price. Buying them when they are at the least expensive point of the 12-week cycle, as determined by The Grocery Game, and with coupons - if there are any available - will save you money along the way. 

This sounds like a no-brainer. It sounds like something we could do on our own, doesn't it. Have you tried? Maybe you could, but I can't. I can barely do it with The Grocery Game. I've been signed up with The Grocery Game for a year now and I love it. I'll admit though that I haven't been a faithful player for the entire time. For the first nine months I used it mostly as a grocery list. That's not a bad way to do it, it's just not the optimum way to do it. I found some great deals but I didn't maximize The List.

Starting this past fall I began subscribing to the newspaper so that I could get the coupons each Sunday and really take the shopping seriously. Taking a look at the pantry space, here are some of things I see that I now have stockpiled: diapers, Pull-ups, toothpaste, bath gel, shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, brown sugar, canned tomatoes [some diced, some with chiles, some with onions], dried pasta, pasta sauce, Goldfish crackers, cake mix, cereal, mayonnaise, salad dressing, chocolate chips, tomato soup, mushroom soup, chicken soup - well, you get the gist. [And you probably figured out that I have two small kids!]

What else can I tell you? Go check it out at The Grocery Game. If you decide to sign up, I'd appreciate it if you use me as a referral. [My email of record is sgurnsey@yahoo.com]

I think you'll find that it's a very Cool Idea. It combines the use of coupons with stockpiling with the natural flow of the grocery store cycle. And there's nothing I like better than using the ebb and flow of the system to benefit the consumer.

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.