Saturday, December 28, 2013

Free one year digital subscription to Shape

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Sign up here for a complimentary one year digital subscription to Shape.  




Enjoy a 1 year digital subscription starting with the October 2013 issue. No strings attached. You'll never receive a bill.

Shape Magazine is edited to deliver useful techniques and an understanding of fitness. Top experts from diverse fields of exercise, nutrition, psychology and beauty join forces with nationally known journalists to make each issue a how-to manual for a healthful lifestyle.

Hormel product coupons

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Follow www.TheBudgetQueen.com on Facebook $1.00 off HORMEL ALWAYS TENDER meat $0.55 off any two HORMEL Chili products $1.00 off 2 HORMEL Chicken Breast products $1.00 off any two (2) HORMEL Pepperoni packages

Starkist Tuna Coupon

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Welcome to the New School of Tuna - StarKist Tuna Creations!

A single serving of StarKist Tuna Creations is 110 calories or less and is packaged in a convenient pouch- perfect for on-the-go meals!

Flavors include Lemon Pepper, Sweet & Spicy, Hickory Smoked Tuna, Herb & Garlic and the newest flavor: Ranch.

Catch your coupon here where you can save $0.55 on any TWO (2) StarKist Tuna

Creations Pouch Products. Make sure you try the new Ranch flavor!

My Lunch. My Way. My Creation. 



Sunday, December 22, 2013

Holiday Beauty Tips

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TOP 7 HOLIDAY MAKEUP TIPS
Check out these holiday makeup tips from Katey Denno, celebrity makeup artist. They're wallet-friendly, all natural and will leave you looking perfectly polished and radiant.

Right as Red
'Tis the season to wear a red lip! Remember: A red lip can mean the most sheer wash of a rosy tinted lip balm, a slightly stained red pout, a cherry pop of gloss or an intensely bright red — or even mulberry — smile.



Let it Glow, Let it Glow, Let it Glow
My favorite look, regardless of age, skin color and style is always healthy, glowing skin. This generally means raising the stakes when it comes to adding to your moisturizing routine, particularly if you're noticing a little dryness or lack of radiance. There are countless oils and rich face creams on the market at a variety of price points with different scents, boasting a variety of features: anti-sagging, wrinkle-removing, dark spot busting.

Shimmer & Shine!
In addition to adding moisture, you may also want to invest in a good luminizing product. These come in a variety of forms, from cream to liquid and even powder. The trick is to find one that is either sheer enough that it dissolves into your skin, or one that has a little warmth to it to give your skin a healthy, warmed-up glow. Swirl it on the tops of cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose and in the inner corners of your eyes ... and even atop your cupid's bow.

Ash Be Gone
Dry winter air can also wreak havoc on your skin, which is especially important to note if you're going to be wearing any sleeveless party tanks or showing off a little leg. Finding a rich body moisturizer or oil and adding it to your post-shower routine will give you the limbs you love to show off.

Nail It!
If you want to add a pop of color to your look that is super simple and requires no upkeep throughout the evening, don't neglect your nails! Adding a bright red polish, a sparkly gold or silver glitter-filled varnish or even a sheer wash of clear for a reflective effect, can be just the thing to bring your look into the holiday spirit.

It's in the Eyes
Adding sparkle and glimmer to your eyelids or lash line can really make you feel glamorous and party ready — and can be extremely simple. Pick a shadow with some reflective component in a neutral shade and dust it along your lid and under your lash line. Add a few coats of black mascara and you're ready to party! A deep shade with shimmer in it can be applied as a liner if you wet a small brush with water, press it into the shadow and swipe it along your lash line. Voila: instant liner!

Scents of the Season
Finally, you may want to experiment with adding a slightly more wintery fragrance to really get you into a joyous mood. Think deeper, musky, woodsy or, on the flip side, clean, crisp and white. Either way, you can't go wrong with a little dab on the wrists, behind the ears and the backs of your knees!

Saturday, December 21, 2013

12 Days of Frugal Gifts: Art Boxes

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It's easy to create art boxes for children. You can get art supplies and paper at your local craft store, or you can check the Dollar Tree. 

Here's some ideas on what to include (mix and match-depending on age)

  • crayons
  • markers
  • paints
  • wax sticks
  • popsicle sticks
  • yarn
  • clay
  • pasta shapes
  • stickers
  • paper
  • beads
  • chalk
  • colored pencils
  • tissue paper
  • felt
  • cloth squares

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

12 Days of Frugal Gifts: Baked Goods



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These recipes for holiday treats come to us courtesy of our friend, Becky R. Her house is always filled with the smell of something delicious!






PUMPKIN BREAD


3 cups sugar
1 cup cooking oil
3 eggs
15 ounce canned pumpkin
3 cups flour 3 tablespoons pumpkin pie spices
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Mix sugar, oil, eggs and pumpkin, then add combined dry ingredients in two batches. 
Bake at 350 until knife inserted into middle comes out clean. I used 15 mini loaf pans. 





PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

Place 5 cups sugar, 1 stick butter, 1 large can evaporated milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a dutch oven and heat at medium high. Stir to mix. At the first sign of a boil, set timer for 15 minutes and stir occasionally. While sugar mixture is cooking, prepare a jelly roll pan or similar size dish by coating with butter and set aside. Also, Spray a large bowl with cooking oil spray then empty out an 18 ounce jar of peanut butter and 14 ounces of marshmallow cream into the bowl so it's easier to add to the sugar mixture when ready. When 15 minutes is up, pour peanut butter and marshmallow cream into hot sugar mixture and mix quickly, stir to mix completely but do it quickly, then pour out into buttered pan. Spread and let cool completely before cutting into small squares. 


Bonus! Here is a recipe for baked ornaments. Of course, after they are decorated with the glue and glitter, they are inedible, but a fun project nonetheless.




CINNAMON/APPLESAUCE ORNAMENTS
4.12 ounces cinnamon
3/4 cup applesauce
Mix together and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness
cut out with cookie cutters and place on foil to dry for 24 hours or in a 200 degree oven for 2 hours, turning occasionally to dry evenly.
Decorate with glue and glitter or other paint.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

12 Days of Frugal Gifts: Handmade Soaps

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Handmade soaps are a nice gift to give and it won't cost you a whole lot of money if you take the right approach. My suggestion is to invest in three or four essential oils and since you don't need that much at once for a project, these oils will last a long time and you can use them for future projects. 

You can find the base glycerin soap or olive oil soap at your local craft store and I always use a coupon on it to bring it down close to half-price or better. You can melt the soap and add your essential oils and colorant and have a beautiful product for gifting.

If you want to go a different route, try this recipe.

Oatmeal Soap Balls

1 bar soap (such as Ivory)
1 cup instant oatmeal
4-5 tablespoons of water
5-10 drops of (skin-safe) essential oil (such as lavender or mandarin)

Process the oatmeal in food processor to break it up a little, but not so fine that it turns into a flour. Grate the soap into a bowl. You can put a small amount of the grated soap in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften it. Add your microwaved soap to your grated soap and add in the oatmeal, water and essential oil.  Stir and make sure to blend well. Work the soap with your hands and form into balls. Let the soap dry for awhile and then package into a cute bag or box and you are ready to give it as a gift!


Thursday, December 12, 2013

12 Days of Frugal Gifts: Fleece Gifts

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Fleece is a wonderful material to use for homemade gifts. This time of year you can find fleece on sale often and there are some no-sew projects that make it easy to create gifts for your friends and family. 

To save money on fleece, check your craft store sales paper or website for current coupons. Many times there will be one for 40% of 50% a single cut of fabric. I would choose a fleece pattern and color that is versatile if you are making multiple gifts and get a large amount cut from that one bolt and use your discount coupon on it. 

Don't forget to check the remnant section as well, or the clearance section for discounted fleece fabric prints. 

I hit the jackpot at a clearance sale at Hancock Fabrics. They had some items marked down to 80% off. I found the penguin and heart patterned fleece in the remnant section and only paid $1 per yard.


Here are some easy fleece projects:


Simple Fleece Scarf

Fleece Tied Blanket

Fleece Purse

Sunday, December 8, 2013

12 Days of Frugal Gifts: Crochet Gifts

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I’m always crafty, but I become particularly crafty around the holidays when my mind begins buzzing around with gift ideas. Sometimes, I am inspired to make a gift by something I see or by something I find a great deal on. Last week, a really beautiful skein of yarn caught my eye, brightly colored variegated yarn to be exact. I was inspired to warm up my crochet skills and make my daughter a scarf, because she loves anything rainbow. I also wanted to make it fun, so I had to come up with a pattern that was whimsical enough to do the yarn justice. 

Most of the craft stores will have paper, printable or mobile coupons available each week, usually up to 40% or 50% off one item. There is no minimum to spend, so you can use your coupon on one skein of yarn and pay very little out of pocket.

Make sure you check the clearance areas at your craft store. Sometimes you will find yarn there, and since we are focusing on one skein projects, you won't have to worry about coordinating your clearance yarn with another skein.

I found this free video tutorial for a popcorn stitch project and modified it to work for the scarf that would fit my daughter who is six. 



I knew I needed to finish off the edges somehow so I played with the pattern until I found a nice finish. I ended with one row of single crochet, followed by a row of double crochet, and finally a last row of triple crochet with this pattern, 5 together, one, 3 together, one, and so on until the last stitch, which I finished with 5 together to create this edge.
I took just under one skein of yarn and my daughter was happy to have the rest to do her own “project”.

Here are some other one skein inspiration ideas from Crochet Concupiscence just in case you’re inspired to get your crochet hook and do a quick project of your own.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Simple and Enjoyable Activity: Have an Apple Tasting

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Sometimes it's good to stop and appreciate things. It's a way for us to reflect and enjoy the moment for what it is. 

When we are constantly living a frugal lifestyle, it can seem like we are missing out, but in reality we are surrounded with riches of another sort.

Take for instance the simplicity of the experience of food. We can either eat for satiety or we can eat and enjoy the experience of the flavors we are tasting. 

I challenge you, this season, to do something that is not only affordable, but an experience in enjoying the moment.

This is an activity you can do on your own or with children. When you go to the grocery store, choose one or two apples of each variety. When you go home, slice them up and taste each slice individually and have an apple tasting. You will discover the subtle differences in each apple variety and may even find a new favorite.

This will probably cost you less than $5 to do depending on how many apples you choose, but it will be an experience you will enjoy. If you are involving your family, young children can develop their vocabulary by practicing the names of all the varieties of apples, you can talk about texture and use descriptive words when evaluating the flavors together.

Then, once you've tasted the different types of fresh apples, you may want to try some of these easy recipes with the leftovers.

Easy Crockpot Apple Butter

Sauteed Apples

Ham, Swiss and Apple Wraps

Thursday, December 5, 2013

12 Days of Frugal Gifts: Sewn Gifts

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We will kick off our 12 Days of Frugal Gifts with Sewn Gifts. If you have a sewing machine or know someone who does, then you can make these simple gifts for giving.



First, you'll need to decide what you'll be making and these free downloadable patterns from Hancock Fabrics will give you some great inspiration.  

As for finding the fabric at a good price, you should first check the sales papers for your local craft stores and find out what type of fabric is on sale. The patterns you are considering will list exactly the amount of fabric you need for the project, so when you find an affordable fabric, you can save money simply by having them cut exactly the amount you will need for the project and no more.

Another idea to save money on fabric is to go to the remnant section and see what type of remnant fabric is available that will suit your project. 

Sometimes, you can save money by substituting one fabric for another, depending on the project. Chances are that the people who work in the fabric department are experienced with sewing. Let them know what you are working on, and let them give you some advice on possible fabrics to use. You may be able to save by making a switch.

If you are a novice seamstress, then you can get some wonderful guidance through Craftsy. Craftsy offers online craft classes on just about every crafting discipline you can imagine. Craftsy offers FREE mini-classes too, like Bag-Making Basics: Reversible Tote & Zipper Pouch and Bag-Making Basics: Drawstring Bag & Bucket Bag which would be perfect projects for gifting!

  
Tomorrow, come back for Day 2! Crochet Gifts

12 Days of Frugal Gifts

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What to do when your Christmas budget is oh so small? You can put together some gifts with a little inspiration. I will share ideas through this series- "12 Days of Frugal Gifts". The first gift idea will be shared tomorrow, but until then, I have a little idea for your holiday gathering if you and your gift recipients are in a truly frugal mindset. 

I call it "Frugal Santa" and it is a game I play every year with my friends who join me for my Budget Queen December coupon swap. You don't need to spend any money. Each of you will bring a wrapped gift-something you already have at home, that is re-giftable. It might be framed art of some sort, a nice vase or a book that is nearly new. The idea is to find something that is re-giftable that you are willing to part with. It might be something that no longer fits your decor, but would be a nice addition to someone else's home. You get the idea.

Each person will bring their wrapped gift and then you will proceed to play the steal-a-gift game in the traditional style. Everyone will go home with something new to them. Voila! Frugal Santa. 

The 12 Days of Frugal Gifts starts tomorrow with Sewn Gifts.

Amazon Cyber Week Deals in Sports and Outdoors

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 Shop Amazon - Cyber Monday Deals in Sports

Monday, December 2, 2013

49 cent Flat Holiday Cards at Cardstore

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CYBER MONDAY! 49¢ Flat Holiday Cards at Cardstore! TODAY ONLY 12/2/13. Use Code: CCP3122, Shop Now!

Cyber Monday is here, which means HUGE holiday savings at Cardstore! Cyber Monday is a great day to kick back with a cup of coffee, eat some Thanksgiving leftovers, and enjoy all the great deals online. Cardstore provides an amazingly simple, fun way to create my holiday cards. The best part is they'll mail my cards for me so I don't have to leave the house for stamps or deal with the crazy post office. 

Use coupon code CCP3122 for 49¢ Flat Holiday Cards and coupon code CCP3149 for $1.49 Folded Holiday Cards. The selection of cards is awesome! Select from Christmas, Kwanzaa, Season's Greetings, or even New Year's Cards. Personalized cards only take minutes to create, so start shopping for your holiday cards now and save!


**Don't forget to check out Cardstore's holiday shipping schedule to make sure all of your cards arrive just in time! http://www.cardstore.com/shippingschedule.i2

25% off at Livingsocial Cyber Monday Deal!

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11/30 - 12/2: Shop Livingsocial.com for big savings! Get 25% off* with promo code CYBERMONDAY for the best deals online. Restrictions apply, max discount of $25.  

Redemption instructions:
  1. Take 25% off your next purchase on LivingSocial.com when you use promo code "CYBERMONDAY".
  2. Add Deal by clicking "Buy Now" button on the Deal information page.
  3. Click on "Redeem promo code" during purchase process.
  4. Enter code "CYBERMONDAY" and hit apply.
  5. The amount of the savings will be reflected on the final purchase confirmation page.
Terms and Conditions:

  • *Good for purchases of any amount, but maximum discount to be applied is $25.
  • Promo code is available early for affiliates to be used between November 30, 2013 12:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) and December 2, 2013, 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time)
  • One code use only per credit card.
  • Promotion requires a LivingSocial account, and is subject to terms and conditions found at here.
  • Promo codes not valid for ticket or Deal purchases required to be completed on a third party site.
  • LivingSocial reserves the right to cancel the promotion at any time.
  • This offer is single-use and non-transferrable.
  • If you return your purchase, you will be refunded the amount paid.
  • Offer good while supplies last.
  • Void where prohibited.
  • Offer good while supplies last.
  • Valid in the US only.

Cyber Monday Deal at elf cosmetics: 50% off sitewide

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Cyber Monday Deal: 50% off sitewide with min $30 purchase! Valid 12/1 through 12/3 with code CYBER50. Shop now!



Stella & Dot Cyber Monday Deal

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Stella & Dot Cyber Monday Deal - Bring It Jewelry Roll only $5.95 w/ $50 purchase!
 
Stella & Dot Sale

Purchase at least $50 and get the Bring It Jewelry Roll for only $5.95. Offer only valid on the Bring It Jewelry Roll Espresso Ikat Colorway only. Offer valid only on 12/2. While supplies last.

Gifts from Reuseit & Cyber Monday Deal

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ReUseIt.com