Frugal Mom Blog

Progress Energy's average energy usage

Across the US we are experiencing extreme weather driving up our heating bills.  I received a email from Progressive Energy today and I’d like to share with you some of the tips they gave towards lowering our electric bills.

“The best way to reduce high home heating costs? Get attic insulation that’s R-30 or higher.”  For more tips like this, visit their tip sheet containing 100 Energy Saving Tips.

Their Appliance Calculator shows you how  much energy each appliance in your home is using.  This information can help you make decisions about how you’d like to run your appliances, and if you should avoid using certain appliances in order to save money and reduce your carbon footprint.

What ways have you found to decrease your energy bill this winter?

Decorating our Christmas tree this year, I realized the star we put on the top of the tree was broken. Being the frugal person I am, I decided to use a piece of beautiful gold ribbon and make a bow for the top of the tree.  That was when I realized I was bow-challenged. No worries, I did find a great video on bow making, and thought you might enjoy it as well.

Sorry for the delay – we’ve been dealing with kidney stones at our house.  According to the random number generator, the 5 winners are:

#14 – Bonnie W.

#3 – Jennifer

#8 –  Bonnie

#1 – Lisa

#15 – Kelly Davis

Congratulations to the winners and I hope you enjoy your soup!

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Everyone loves a free meal…or two, or three! And today Campbell’s soup is giving away a variety pack of their new Select Harvest soups to 5 Frugal Moms.

Select Harvest launched this fall 12 new varieties of 100% Natural soups, meaning there are no artificial ingredients, flavors or preservatives, and include ingredients that you’d find in your own home if you were making soup from scratch. I was able to sample these soups and they are delicious. I was most impressed by the large chunks of white meat chicken, and the soups were filling. Perfect for lunch, or dinner on a cold night.

Here is what you will win in your variety pack:

Chicken Tuscany – 100% Natural, Mediterranean variety: This soup is a flavorful combination of Chicken and White Beans with Herbs, featuring only 100% Natural ingredients and providing an excellent source of Vitamin A and a good source of Fiber.

Light Minestrone with Whole Grain Pasta, 100% Natural, Mediterranean variety: Part of the Select Harvest 100% Natural Mediterranean-Style Collection, this soup is a good source of fiber and contains only 80 calories per serving.

Chicken with Egg Noodles – 100% Natural:  Made with 100% Natural ingredients, Select Harvest’s Chicken with Egg Noodle features Roasted While Meat Chicken and is an excellent source of Vitamin A.

How to Win:

1.  In the comments, tell us which soup you think will be your favorite.  That’s it!  Your comment automatically enters you in the drawing.

2.  To receive a second entry in the drawing, share this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post.  Then post a 2nd comment here  with a link to your blog.

3.  This giveaway will stay open until Thursday, and the winner will be announced on Friday.  Please make sure you submit a valid email address. One entry per person please (unless you receive a 2nd entry by posting on your blog).

Have you struggled with getting rid of your debt?  Maybe you have high credit card bills, medical bills, car payments and the like.  And it seems no matter how many payments you make, you never get seem to get rid of them.  Many of us are either there, or have been there, and it is not a fun place to be.  It is very discouraging to feel as though your debt owns you for life.

For more information, visit DaveRamsey.com

Quick Announcement:  Don’t forget to check in on Wednesday for a delicious giveaway!

By Kathy Wilson
The Budget Decorator

Thanksgiving decorating day is a special time in our homes, when we all take a little time to appreciate the gifts and blessings in our lives. My number one blessing, as yours, is my family and friends! So let’s find some great ways to make your home a warm, inviting place this Thanksgiving Day for all your loved ones, including you!

Use a natural theme. This might seem like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people spend big bucks trying to glitz up this holiday. It’s about the harvest; being thankful for this beautiful earth we live on, and the wonderful food we are so blessed to be given, so let’s celebrate that! It also happens to be a great way to decorate on a small budget! So bring nature into your home, and be thankful!

Most people just focus on the table for Thanksgiving decorating, and while that is indeed important, don’t forget to bring the beauty of autumn splendor into other areas of your home. Some quick ideas include picking up some silk garlands (right now they are on clearance to make room for Christmas stuff, check your craft store!) of autumn colors and drape them over doorways, windows, mantels, and artwork or mirrors. Collect leaves on your next walk in the neighborhood, and then press between paper towels and a book. Because they were already drying outdoors and were low on moisture, this will only take a few days! Now use your leaves to sprinkle over the hearth, the countertops, under candle displays, under glass top tables, tuck into picture frame edges, make them a picture in a frame…you get the idea.

Gourds anyone? These are a wonderful traditional decoration, but here’s a little money saving tip. If you have produce stands near your home, these are much cheaper than the grocery stores for gourds, squashes, and pumpkins. Don’t limit your self to the little mini ones, pile full size versions next to your front door, line a windowsill, fill baskets or fill the planter boxes or a wheelbarrow on the porch with great harvest vegetables!

Consider setting out simple ceramic or wooden bowls lined with a pretty cloth napkin or scrap fabric, and fill with some treasures from your next nature walk . Texture abounds with natural elements, and will warm up a tablescape, a coffee table, and a fireplace hearth. Try getting out the hot glue gun and affixing your items to the candles you packed away at the first sign of summer. Small glass jars make great votive holders when dressed up with a few pressed leaves and acorns. Fill a bowl or plate with goodies around large pillar candles and use as a centerpiece. If you can’t find enough natural material near your home, check out the bulk grain section at your supermarket. Fall is about harvest, so any grain can be used to add that element to your home. Even cracked corn meant for the bird feeder can look great in a jar as a base for a candle.

Now, we aren’t going to forget the Thanksgiving table! This is your opportunity to show your loved ones how important it is to you that they are sharing your table this year. If you don’t have tablecloths, pick up a couple of green or gold sheets from Wal-Mart or a discount store for less than $3. You can even layer a couple of them if you wish. Don’t feel shy about pressing coffee tables or card tables into service if you need more room, just use those cheap sheets! If you run out of chairs, push a table up to a couch on one long side, and you will only need chairs for the other side. Set your table with all your dishware…it doesn’t matter if it all doesn’t match, or you had to borrow salad plates from a neighbor! Just keep the arrangement of each place setting the same, and it will tie it all together. For instance…dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl, repeat with next placesetting. Distribute the different styles of dishware evenly throughout the tables, much the same as you would do with accent colors in a room!

Use cloth napkins, fold them into accordion pleats and place them in the water glasses. Don’t have cloth napkins? One twin flat sheet, a pair of scissors and some iron on hem tape (you could sew hems if you prefer) and you will have elegant napkins you can use again and again. A good size is 18×18 inches.

The highlight of the event? Your centerpiece of course! This is where your creativity comes most into play. Keep the centerpiece low so that guests can easily converse. I know many designers make beautiful tablescapes on lifts, and talk about height in an arrangement, but isn’t the people what it’s all about? Use your nature theme, gather up some pretty dishes and pitchers, and pick some fall flowers or grasses from the yard. Pile up gourds on platters, fill bowls with nuts and insert a pillar candle, add pretty dried grasses to a wonderful vase, use bowls of apples, lemons, or limes. Take small bunches of flowers, wrap a wet paper towel and some plastic wrap around the stems, and insert randomly into the bowls of produce. Float some mum flower heads in a clear bowl of water, or add some greenery between the other items on the table. Experiment with what you have available, what is affordable in your area, and what creates warmth in your heart. Try things several different ways, until you find a combination you like.

Above all, remember this is not about impressing others; it is about making a statement about how much you care they are in your home, and in your life. Enjoy your family, enjoy being creative while saving lots of cash, and enjoy the beauty of nature…and give thanks.

About the Author:

Kathleen Wilson is an author, national columnist, and editor of the free ezine, The Budget Decorator. For hundreds of free budget home decorating ideas visit her at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com