Healthy Wealthy Living

It is Spring cleaning time! In our home, we are going room by room and removing and donating the things we simply do not need. We don’t need 20 glasses and 10 coffee mugs.  I’m no longer holding onto the “what if they fit someday” clothes. We are donating toys that my daughter no long plays with. We have gone through five rooms and have a few more to go. Our rooms actually look brighter and feel more spacious. Why didn’t I do this years ago? Besides washing windows and baseboards, it is a time to clear out the mind and soul of all the negative and unnecessary dust and cob webs. I’m at the point in my life where I’m finally ready to tackle and get rid of all the junk and all the clutter that’s been weighing me down. I’m starting to forgive those I’ve held grudges or ill feelings against (hey, I’m only human). I am attempting to let go of the things I cannot change and am trying only look on the bright side of any situation.    It is not easy and ...

Ask your child to fill out this Mother's Day Questionnaire every year to see the change in answers and growth in your child!  You can be the reporter and "interview" your child. You can even have your child put his/her handprint on the back. Store these beautiful mementos in a special scrapbook you create together! Mother’s Day All About My Mom My mom is ________________ years old   My mom looks beautiful when she______________________   I love when my mom ________________________________   My mom cooks the best ______________________________   My mom makes me laugh when _____________________   My mom's favorite outfit is ____________________________   My mom always says________________________________   I have so much fun when my mom and I ________________________________________________   I love my mom because _____________________________! Happy Mother’s Day Mom! I love you so much! From: __________________, __...

Sometimes, this mama needs a break from cooking!   So, on Saturdays, we typically will go out to eat. We have the good intention of trying new restaurants but after a few rounds of “where should we go?..I don’t care” (while driving around aimlessly) we usually end up at a local chain restaurant.  Now, don’t get me wrong. I love chains every now and then but really prefer to eat a fresh, home cooked, non cookie-cutter meal. This past Saturday, we went about our restaurant outing a little differently. We actually had a plan! A few days prior, I had noticed a Facebook advertisement for Federal Hill Brick Oven Pizza in Warren, Rhode Island (non-RI’ers please don’t stop reading..there is moral to this story).  Normally, I ignore the ads but this one grabbed my attention because it said gluten-free pizza. As many of you know, my little one has a sensitivity to gluten. Right then and there, I decided we were going to go to Federal Hill Pizza on Saturday! I was t...

So, you may be wondering where my vast selection of coupons comes from, the simple answer is anywhere and everywhere. I can spot a coupon from several yards away and am never shy about picking it up! I have asked neighbors for the ones in their recycle bins and grabbed the ones left behind in shopping carts. These are just impulse grabs. Keep reading to learn how to get lots of coupons so you can create your own stockpile. Most of you probably already know that coupons come in the Sunday paper , although this is a great guarantee to get the deals right to your doorstep, at a price of $3 a paper, I am hesitant to recommend it.  I highly recommend going to smartsource.com typing in your zip code, and searching for other papers that offer their coupons. You can likely find them at a lower cost or even free! I am lucky enough to receive a SmartSource coupon book in a free special edition Thursday paper that is delivered right to my doorstep. I have also found a...

What a 'loaded' title! Who am I to call someone an 'idiot'? You say that I don't know your spouse well enough to call him/ her that? - Well, you're correct. I don't. But, who says that I was referring to your partner and not you? Okay. Here's the scoop. You look at your husband or wife and see their faults as well as their great qualities. And, yes, they undoubtedly will occasionally pull some bone-head move. And, at those times, you call them an idiot. It's deserved, you say. They went to the market for bread and came home with a lot of groceries, but no bread. You asked them to do the wash on cold cycle, but they ran it on hot, so everything shrank. You told them to fax paperwork to a client of yours and they faxed over evidence that you are looking to dump them in favor of one of their competitors.  You have them pick-up take-out and, don't you just know it... They forgot to have the salad dressing put on the side. So, of...

You  are well on your way to becoming a couponing expert! You have made the commitment and are scouring the ads for the best deals.   Now let’s talk about controlling your checkout.  Unfortunately there are sometimes problems at the register either with the cashier, the computer or the coupons.     You want to be prepared for this and it starts with a well organized shopping list. The Well Organized Shopping List : Be prepared Shop with a detailed list with prices, item counts, coupons and store ad in hand Double check the stores coupon policy to make sure nothing has changed since your last visit. Bring an empty envelope so as you put items in your cart from your list, move the coupons into the empty envelope.  This helps to assure that your counts are correct and that you don’t accidentally forget something. Before you go to the cashier, do one last count of your coupons and items. I know this sounds redu...

I am a content mom to two children: a 2 ½ year old boy and an almost eleven year old girl.  I have stated many times, both out loud and to myself, they don’t make any other kind, just boys and girls so technically I’m good... I’m done.  I don’t want any more children because, as I have stated before, I have my boy and my girl and they don’t make any other kind. With that being said, my younger sister went into labor a couple of days ago.   It was a very long, tiring and anxiety-ridden labor, and that was just for me.   I was so anxious for her, and I just wanted it to be over.   Of course, I couldn’t wait to snuggle with that little girl.   I couldn’t wait to smell baby smell.   There hasn’t been a baby girl in our family for almost eleven years.   I was anxious to get my hands on that baby.   So anxious, apparently, that I couldn’t sleep the night she was born because I knew the next day I would be able to finally go see her....