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Best Ways To Store Produce To Keep It Fresh Longer

December 3, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Easy ways to stop your produce from going bad quickly.

How many times have you had to throw away produce from your fridge because it has gone moldy?? This happens to me more times than I want to admit and I always feel so sad throwing the food away! This is food that I spent hard earned money on. A few years ago I knew something had to change. So, I started learning a few new tricks all about how to help my produce stay fresh longer, and it has worked! This has in turn helped me to save money on groceries! Yay! I’m sharing the tips today in hopes that it can help you too!

Disclosure: “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

1. Know Where To Store Your Produce

I remember way back when I first moved out on my own and started shopping for myself for the first time. In my young college mind I thought that all produce needed to be stored in the refrigerator, boy was I wrong!

After I had hundreds of bananas go brown way to quickly on me, I started learning that the fridge is not the best storage place for everything.

As you try to keep your produce fresh longer, be aware of what stores best in the fridge, and what would store better on the counter or in a cabinet.

Produce That Stores Best In The Fridge:

Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Broccoli
Carrots
Pease
Peppers
Spinach
Apples
Berries

Produce That Stores Best Out Of The Fridge:

Tomatoes
Plums
Peaches
Cherries
Butternut Squash
Bananas
Avocados

Produce That Stores Best In a Cool/Dark/Dry Place:

Garlic
Onion
Potatoes

2. Store Your Veggies Dry

Vegetables, especially leafy greens, needs to be dried thoroughly before storing in the fridge.

After you wash your vegetables be sure to pat them dry with a paper towel to get rid of all the extra moisture. You can even wrap a paper towel around the lettuce to be make sure the moisture continues to be absorbed.

Related: How to Eat Healthy For Cheap

3. Wash Strawberries In A Vinegar Bath

I learned one of my favorite hacks for keeping strawberries fresh from Melyssa Saves on Instagram. Giving your strawberries a vinegar bath is such an easy trick and makes a huge difference for the life of your strawberries.

To give your strawberries a vinegar bath just fill your sink with three parts water and one part vinegar. Pour your strawberries into the vinegar bath and let them soak for a few minutes.

Next, you will dry the strawberries completely on a paper towel before returning them to their container and storing in the fridge.

4. Store Leafy Greens In A Bag

Another trick to keeping your leafy greens fresh it to store them in a bag. This could be a grocery bag, or the bag they came in from the store.

The best way to store your leafy greens is to wash them well, pat dry with a paper towel and then place them into a plastic bag. Keep a little bit of air in the bag and tie it shut to seal.

5. Use A Paper Towel To Absorb Moisture

One of my favorite tricks for keeping produce from going bad is to store it with a paper towel. The paper towel will help to absorb any excess moisture. Berries and grapes will both stay fresh longer if you store them this way.

Simply wash your produce, pat dry, and then place them on a paper towel. Store them in an open container with the paper towel on bottom.

6. Separate Your Bananas

If you enjoy buying bananas (like I do!) try separating them from the bunch! Bananas will stay fresh for longer if they are separated from each other and stored individually.

7. Keep Fruit and Vegetables Separate

Another way to keep your produce fresh longer is to keep your fruits and vegetables stored separately in the fridge. Most fruits will emit ethylene which makes vegetable go bad quickly. Using separate drawers is a great way to keep them apart.

Related: 10 Quick Ways to Save Money on Groceries

8. Wrap Celery In Tin Foil

I love juicing celery and using it as an after school snack for my kids (just slap some peanut butter on the celery and they will gobble it up!). Not only is celery a very budget friendly food, it will also stay fresh for a long time.

The trick to keeping celery from going bad quickly is to wrap it in tin foil! Yes! That’s it. This one simple trick will help keep your celery moist, fresh, and tasting delicious!

9. Store Potatoes With An Apple

This is a fun hack for preventing your potatoes from sprouting. All you need to do is add an apple to the container you are storing your potatoes in and they won’t sprout as quickly!

***Remember potatoes need to be stored in a cool, dark and dry place!

9. Freeze Produce Before It Goes Bad

If there comes a time when you feel like you can’t use your produce before it goes bad, you can always freeze it to prolong the life and prevent waste.

To freeze fruit try a flash freeze like this method I used to freeze my strawberries. Most veggies will need a to be blanched before freezing, like how I freeze my peas.

Freezing your produce should extend it’s life for an extra 3-6 months.

Products To Keep Produce Fresh

There are many free things you can do to prevent your produce from going bad. But, I get that sometimes we just want a product to help save us some hassle! Here are a few highly rated products to help!

Bluapple Produce Saver Balls

These Bluapple Produce Freshness Saver Balls are so easy to use! Just toss one into your produce drawer and they will absorb the ethylene gas from your fruit, making your produce stay fresh for much longer!

Fresh Works Food Storage Container

I have heard amazing things about the Fresh Works Produce Saver Container. These containers have everything you need to keep your produce fresh, including a crisping tray and vent to help regulate the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Plus, they have over 15,000 positive reviews, so you can’t go wrong!

Herb Keeper Container

If you enjoy fresh herbs, you might like this Herb Keeper Container. With this container you can keep your herbs fresh for much longer. It was designed with vents, a self watering feature, and dividers so you can store multiple herbs together.

Debbie Meyer GreenBags

Another popular product for extending the life of your fruits and vegetables is the Debbie Meyer GreenBags. These bags are so easy to use! Just wrap your produce gently into the bag and store as normal. Easy peasy and works like a charm!

In Conclusion

There are many different things you can do to help your produce stay fresh. Try a few (or all) of the ideas on this list to help you stop throwing away your hard earned money.

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I hope this article helps you learn how to store produce to keep it fresh longer.

Freezer Chicken Recipes and How to Freeze Bulk Chicken

November 20, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life4 Comments

This Check out these easy freezer chicken recipes.

One of my favorite ways to save money on groceries is to buy my chicken in bulk. Bulk chicken is usually priced much lower than buying smaller amounts. This is also a great way to save time in the kitchen! When I buy my bulk chicken, I like to prep some of them for the freezer for quick to fix dinners. Today I am going to show you how to prep bulk chicken for the freezer and 6 of my favorite easy freezer chicken recipes.

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I will receive compensation from purchases made through links in this post. Thank you!

Where To Buy Bulk Chicken

There are many different places you can buy your chicken in bulk. Watch for sales at your local grocery store. Bulk chicken will go on sale multiple times throughout the year and is usually an excellent deal.

I have also bought bulk chicken at Savory Butcher and Butcher Box, and honestly was so happy with both!

Savory Butcher

Savory Butcher is a meat coop community offering discounted meats to multiple areas around the United States. Their meat are all humanely raised, antibiotic free and no added hormones.

They are currently delivering meat to areas in Texas, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Oregon and more! Products include beef, pork, seafood, and chicken.

I just tried out Savory Butcher for the first time, and I was SO impressed! The customer service was incredible and the meat was high quality and delicious! Plus, the price is right which is so important to me.

I chose to purchase the 40 lb case of chicken, which was only $1.99/lb. This is a smoking deal! Their chicken comes fresh from the farm and already trimmed (this makes life easier, trust me!).

Butcher Box

Another great place to buy meat and get it shipped right to your door is Butcher Box! Be sure to click here for my full Butcher Box review.

How To Freeze Bulk Chicken

I just spent a couple of hours prepping my bulk chicken. It makes me happy to stock my freezer full of chicken for quick, easy dinners. I prepped 8 ready to cook dinners; and 6 bags of plain chicken. It does take a little bit of effort to prepare your bulk chicken, but the amount of money you save is SO worth it!

Related: How to freeze Pancakes for a Quick Frugal Breakfast

If your chicken comes trimmed (like mine did) you can start putting them into freezer safe packaging, right out of the box.

Sometimes bulk chicken is sold still needing trimmed. Take a few minute trimming off the fat and then you can begin packaging.

When preparing chicken for the freezer I highly recommend using a vacuum sealer. This one simple purchase will make freezing bulk chicken much easier and does a great job of preventing freezer burn.

My sealer was not working (resulting in quite a bit of frustration on my part!). So, I used freezer bags instead. These don’t work quite as well as a vacuum sealer does, but they can get the job done.

To prep your chicken for the freezer you will need to separate your chicken into dinner sized portions. For my family I put about 2-3 chicken breasts per bag for my family. Place each portioned chicken into freezer bag, remove all of the air and seal tightly.

Your chicken is now ready for the freezer! Yay! Your chicken will stay fresh in the freezer for 6-12 months.

Easy Freezer Chicken Recipes

While you are preparing your chicken for the freezer, you can whip up a few of these easy recipes at the same time. I love these recipes because I can pull the chicken out of the freezer in the morning, and half of the work for dinner is already done! They are perfect for busy days, or when you just don’t feel like cooking!

Slow Cooker Honey Chicken

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Ingredients

2 lbs. chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 Tbsp diced onion
4 Tbsp ketchup
2 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp cornstarch
6 Tbsp water

Instructions

Combine chicken, salt, pepper, honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup and garlic powder in a freezer bag.
Let all air out of bag. Seal tight and freeze.
When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
Dump entire bag of chicken and sauce into slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
When finished cooking take chicken out of slow cooker and leave the sauce.
Combine cornstarch with water, stir well.
Add it into slow cooker with sauce. Cook sauce on high until it begins to thicken (5-10 minutes).
Slice chicken into small chunks. Return to slow cooker and stir with sauce.
Serve over rice.

Barbecue Chicken

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Ingredients

2 lbs. chicken breasts
1 container of barbecue sauce

Instructions

Put chicken in a freezer bag. Pour entire container of barbecue sauce on top.
Let all air out of bag. Seal tight and freeze.
When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
Cook on grill. Top with barbecue sauce to serve.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

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Ingredients

2 lb. chicken breasts sliced thin
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine chicken, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper in freezer bag.
Put chicken in a freezer bag. Pour entire container of barbecue sauce on top.
Let all air out of bag. Seal tight and freeze.
When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
Cook chicken on grill.
Serve with rice and veggies.

Balsamic Chicken

This balsamic chicken recipe is available as part of my Free 5 Days to Frugal ecourse. You can sign up below and my 5 favorite frugal recipes will be emailed to you on day 3 of the challenge!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Tacos

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Ingredients

2 lb. chicken breasts
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

Combine chicken, tomatoes, brown sugar and red pepper flakes in freezer bag.
Let all air out of bag. Seal tight and freeze.
When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
Pour chicken and sauce into slow cooker.
Cook in slow cooker on high for 5 hours.
When done cooking shred chicken in sauce.
Serve in flour tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Grilled (or baked!) Island Chicken

This grilled island chicken recipe is available as part of my Free 5 Days to Frugal ecourse.

You can sign up below and my 5 favorite frugal recipes will be emailed to you on day 3 of the challenge!

Favorite Baked Chicken

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Ingredients

2 lb. chicken breasts
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in freezer bag.
Let all air out of bag. Seal tight and freeze.
When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Serve with baked potatoes and veggies.

Related: Mel’s Home Cooking Recipe Book

Honey Lime Enchiladas

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Ingredients

1 lb. chicken
6 Tbsp honey
4.5 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
10 oz. can green enchilada sauce
flour tortillas
shredded monterey jack cheese

Instructions

Combine chicken, honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder in freezer bag.
Let all air out of bag. Seal tight and freeze.
When ready to prepare take it out of freezer and allow to thaw.
Pour chicken and sauce into slow cooker.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Shred chicken in sauce.
Pour a small amount of green enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Fill tortillas with shredded chicken and cheese. Place in pan.
Pour the rest of the green enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

In Conclusion

I love buying my chicken in bulk. It has proven time and time again to be a money and time saver for me. Feel free to try any of these recipes for any chicken, it doesn’t have to be in bulk. Let me know which one is your favorite!

If you are looking for more easy recipes be sure to check out my very own recipe book! Mel’s Home Cooking offers 65 simple, delicious and easy recipes for one low price. You are sure to find a new family favorite!

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Enjoy these easy freezer chicken recipes!

How to Make Butter in a Jar

November 18, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life1 Comment

Learn how to make homemade butter in a mason jar!

Do you know how to make butter in a jar?? It is one of my favorite activities to do with my kids! The butter tastes fresh and delicious, and it is so easy to do!

Homemade butter is a fun pioneer activity to teach kids about how life was in the 1800s. We have also made it for our Thanksgiving dinner before! It was so fun for my kids to serve their very own butter at the table.

I had a container of heavy whipping cream sitting in my fridge for a few weeks. I kept looking at it, knowing I needed to do something with it, but never knowing exactly what! My sister finally suggested to me that I should use the cream to make butter in a jar with my kids. Best idea ever!

Making butter in a jar is so so easy, cheap, and my kids absolutely LOVED it!

It was so fun watching my kids shaking their jars and checking every 5 minutes to see if the butter had formed. My daughter even said, “Wow! They use to have to work hard in the olden days! I can’t imagine doing this every time we needed butter.” This led into such a great discussion about the conveniences we have now and how hard our ancestors had to work in order to survive.

How To Make Butter In a Jar

All you need to make your own butter is a mason jar and a carton of heavy whipping cream. Seriously, that’s it! I told you this was easy!

To make your butter you will need to pour some whipping cream into your mason jar. I filled our jars about half full, but if you are doing this with your kids, or for the first time, I would recommend only filling it about 1/4 full. It just makes the process easier and quicker for the kids if the jar has less cream in it.

Once you have your whipping cream in the jar, put the lid back on, and screw it tight.

Now, all you have to do is shake the jar! Shake, shake and shake! The amount of shaking the butter will need will depend on how much cream you put in the jar. The more cream, the longer you will need to shake.

When we did it today it took us about 45 minutes of hard shaking. If I had done less cream I’m sure it would’ve been much quicker.

You can make the shaking part fun. We turned on some music and danced around while shaking our jars. If you are only making one jar of butter you can have everybody take turns shaking it for 2 minutes and then switching to the next person.

Related: 50 FREE activities to do with your kids over the Summer Break

As you shake your jar you will notice the cream will slowly becoming thicker. After a while the butter will begin separating from the cream. Keep shaking until the butter forms together in a nice solid ball. Once this happens, you are done! See, so easy!

Drain the leftover cream, rinse your butter, and then transfer it to a plate. Wah-lah! You have made butter!

Now is the fun part! You get to enjoy your butter on some fresh bread or rolls. I am so excited for you! This butter is delicious!

Butter in a Jar

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Ingredients

Heavy whipping cream
Mason jar

Instructions

Pour heavy whipping cream into your mason jar. Fill it between 1/4-1/2 full. The fuller it is, the longer the butter will take to make.
Screw lid onto mason jar to secure a tight fit.
Shake jar vigorously for 15-45 minutes (the more cream, the longer you will need to shake).
Once butter has separated from the cream and formed a ball, you are done.
Take butter ball out of jar and lightly rinse with water.
Enjoy on your favorite bread, rolls, or muffins!

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I hope this helped you learn how to make butter in a jar.

Easy Huckleberry Muffin Recipe

November 17, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

The best Huckleberry Muffin Recipe.

I am so excited to share my easy Huckleberry Muffin Recipe with you! These are our favorite muffins and I look forward to making them each year with our newly picked huckleberries.

Have you ever had a huckleberry? It is one of my favorite treats! They grow in the wild here in Idaho and we love picking them as a family each summer. The best way to describe a huckleberry is it’s very similar to a blueberry, only more purple and smaller. They are also the perfect mixture of sweet and tart.

Huckleberries are considered “gold” where I live. Every summer, around the end of July, we head up to the mountains with buckets and spend a few hours picking berries.

It always takes a little bit of hiking and searching to find the best picking spot, but once you find that perfect place, you are in heaven! The unwritten rule in Idaho is to never tell anyone where your huckleberry picking spot is….because you want to save it for yourself! If someone gets to your spot before you do, it’s such a sad day!

We love to use huckleberries in syrup, pies, jam, and muffins. But, they are also wonderful to eat plain!

How to Make Huckleberry Muffins

I usually flash freeze our huckleberries after picking them, similar to this method I use for freezing strawberries. The flash freeze will preserve the fruit so I can use them throughout the entire year.

My favorite part of this easy huckleberry muffin recipe is that I can use my frozen huckleberries to make it, no thawing required!

I also really love the crumb topping on these muffins. It gives them an extra flavor and crust, which is to die for!

When cutting your butter into the topping ingredients I recommend you use a pastry cutter, it makes this step so quick and simple! This is the pastry cutter I use.

Easy Huckleberry Recipe

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Cook Time 30 mins

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup frozen huckleberries

Topping

1/4 cup butter softened
3 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions

Cream butter and sugar together in large mixer.
Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
Mix together well.
Add flour, salt, and baking powder.
Mix gently, just until ingredients are mixed together.
With spoon, stir in huckleberries.
Pour mixture into prepared muffin tin. Leave each cup 2/3 full.

Topping

Mix flour and sugars together in a small bowl.
Use a pastry cutter to cut in butter.
Sprinkle over each muffin cup batter.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly brown.

If you don’t have any huckleberries in your area, you can easily substitute blueberries in this recipe and the muffins will still be amazing! But, if you ever get a chance to try a huckleberry, try it!! You will love them!

Want More Easy Recipes?

If you are looking for even more recipes you might love my very own recipe book, Mel’s Home Cooking. It has 65 of my favorite, easy, family friendly recipes! Make sure to grab it here!

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I hope you enjoy this easy huckleberry muffin recipe!

Ways For Teenagers To Make Money

November 13, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Easy ways for teens to earn money.

Are you a teenager looking for a few ways to make extra money? Or maybe you are a parent to a teen and you are looking for ways to help them earn a little cash. Either way, I understand just how important it is for teenagers to make money.

Teens are getting to that age where they are feeling more like adults. They are usually ready for a little extra responsibility and many have a wish list of items they want to buy.

I remember being a teen and dreaming of new clothes, going to the movies with my friends, and wanting to buy all of the trendy accessories (hello chokers!). The secret to being able to buy this stuff??? Getting a job and learning how to make money. Today, I am excited to share a few ways teens can make money.

Remember to always check with your parents before attempting any of these suggestions. When and what job you get should always be a discussion between you and your parents, they love you and want what’s best for you!

1. Babysit

My very first job way back when was as a babysitter for kids in my neighborhood. This was such a great learning opportunity. Babysitting taught me responsibility, patience, creativity and helped me earn a lot of money.

If you are interested in babysitting I recommend you start with people you know well. Share a flyer with neighbors, family or friends to let them know that you are available to babysit and how much you will charge. I would start charging a small amount until you have gotten some experience.

Encourage those you babysit for to share your name and phone number with others. When I hire a babysitter, I almost only do so if I had heard good things about them. Word of mouth is key!

Consider taking a Babysitting Class such as this one offered from the Red Cross. Or read this American Girls Babysitter book. These are great ways to learn some new skills that will help you be the best babysitter you can be!

2. Do Yard Work

Hire yourself out to do various yard work chores around your neighborhood. These chores might include mowing lawns, raking leaves, pulling weeds, planting flowers, etc. There are so many instances when adults just don’t have the time or energy to work in their yard and would happily hire a teenager to help them.

Post some flyers around your neighborhood and on your neighborhood Facebook page letting people know that you are available to hire for yard work. If you do a good job, they will probably tell their friends, which means even more business opportunities!

3. Walk Dogs

If you love dogs you might want to become a dog walker. Many people will hire teens to walk their dogs while they are at work, out of town, or maybe just not up to a long walk.

Pass out flyers at a dog park or around your neighborhood letting people know that you are open for business.

4. Camp Counselor

Another great way for teens to make money is to work as a camp counselor at a summer camp. These camps love to hire teenagers and can be a very rewarding experience for everyone involved.

If you love kids, the outdoors and have a lot of energy than you would make a great camp counselor!

5. Tutor

Which school subjects do you excel in? Maybe math or science or English comes really easy to you. There are a lot of parents who would love to hire a qualified teenage tutor to help their kids in these subjects.

You could advertise on the elementary and community Facebook pages in your area, along with handing out flyers at school to let people know you are available and which subject(s) you can tutor.

6. Sell Your Clothes

If you have clothing sitting in your closet that you haven’t touched for months (or maybe even years), SELL THEM! There is a huge market right now for quality, gently used clothing -especially if any of them are name brand.

You can list your clothing for sell on websites such as Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, or Thredup. Or, bring them to a consignment store in town to sell to, our favorite is Uptown Cheapskate.

Related: Legit Ways To Earn Money From Home

7. Pet Sitting

Another great job for pet loving teens is to hire yourself out as a pet sitter. You might be hired to take care of someone’s pets while they go on vacation or at work.

Duties could include letting the dog out of the house, feeding a fish, or just giving them some love and attention.

8. Referee

Becoming a sports referee is the perfect job for teenagers who enjoy sports and staying active. Ask around at your local sport leagues and parks and rec to see if they are hiring. This also makes a great summer job if you are looking for something short term.

9. Use Ibotta

Do you ever help out with the grocery shopping in your home? If you do, make sure to download the free ibotta app to start earning free money on items you would be buying anyways.

Ibotta offers cashback on many groceries and other household items. All you have to do is take a picture of your receipt and check ibotta for any matching items. So easy! You probably won’t make a ton of money, but it is perfect for a little extra cash, without much work!

10. Detail Cars

Start a car detailing business. This means you will hire yourself to vacuum, and thoroughly clean the interior of someone’s car. I have paid teenagers to do this for me before, and it was worth every penny.

Pass out flyers in your neighborhood and post on the community Facebook page to let people know about your business and prices.

11. Start a YouTube Channel

Did you know that you can make a lot of money on YouTube??? Because you totally can!

The first trick to starting a YouTube Channel is to choose a topic you are passionate about. This could be anything from music, Minecraft, Legos, makeup, dance, etc. Your passion and knowledge can then be shared through video on YouTube.

As your subscribers grow so can your ability to earn money. There have been many teens who have found success on YouTube, and you can do it too!

12. Bag Groceries

You could try to get a job at one of your local grocery stores to work as a grocery bagger. This is a great job for teenagers who need a flexible schedule and reliable income.

13. Sell Used Devices

Maybe you have old devices sitting around your house, you can sell many of these devices for some quick money through Whistle. All you have to do head to the Whistle website, fill out a few quick questions about your device, and you’ll instantly receive a quote. Whistle will send you a free shipping kit for you to use to send in your device and will pay you within 24 hours of receiving your device. So easy and painless!

Related: 10 Household Items To Sell For Quick Cash

14. Wash Cars

Another great way for teens to make money is by washing cars. All you need to get started is some water, towels, and car soap! Let your neighbors and friends know that you are willing to wash their cars and what your prices will be. This is a great service that many will pay a teen to do for them.

15. Take Pictures

Are you interested in photography? You might want to consider starting a photography business. There are many people who will happily hire an amateur photographer to take family pictures for them if the price is right.

Watch a few YouTube videos to start learning more about photography and editing. Then, after a little practice you can showcase your work through social media so that people can see your talent!

16. Teach Swim Lessons

Most swimming pools hire teenagers to teach swim lessons to younger kids. If you enjoy swimming and the water this could be the perfect job for you!

17. Clean Out Window Wells

A few years ago a teenager started a business in my neighborhood to clean out window wells. He crawled down into our window wells and cleaned out the mice, leaves, and other garbage that had blown inside.

I was so happy to pay him exactly what he charged to do the dirty work that I did not want to do. If you are willing to work hard and get your hands dirty, consider cleaning out window wells.

18. Work In Food Service

Food service companies are always hiring teens to help in their restaurants. You could be a server, deliver food, work as a cashier, or more! Check around at your favorite restaurants to find out who is hiring and how to apply.

19. Work At A Movie Theater

Does your teen love movies? They just might enjoy working at a movie theater. They can sell tickets, or work at concessions. Movie theaters are usually a fun environment to work at too.

20. Give Music Lessons

If you are talented musically, consider giving lessons to younger kids. Parents will pay for violin, piano, voice, guitar, etc. for their kids. This is a great job to have because you can pick your own hours and work from home. Yay!

21. Work in Retail

Working in retail can be a great job opportunity for teens. Most stores will hire teens as cashiers or to stock shelves. Most retail stores will require that you are 16 or older, so make sure to check the rules before applying.

22. Sell Your Photos

If you love taking pictures on your phone, why not sell them to earn extra cash! This is actually so easy to do too! Bloggers love to buy stock photos to use in their articles and websites.

A few websites that you can sell your photos to are:

23. Flip Furniture

Flipping means that you buy something used, fix it up, and then sell it for more than you bought it for. Many people have been able to earn good money by flipping furniture.

You can shop at garage sales, estate sales, or thrift stores to find used wood furniture to fix up. Most pieces will need to be sanded, stained or painted, and new pulls/knobs added. This requires a little bit of your money upfront, but can be worth the sacrifice once you sell the new and improved furniture.

24. Sell Items on Etsy

If you love to craft or create, you might enjoy making and selling items on Etsy. There are hundreds of handmade items you can make and sell. Such as jewelry, t-shirts, home decor, art, etc.

25. House Sit

Offer to house sit for close family and friends. When they go out of town they might need someone to get their mail, water their plants or flower beds, and watch over their house to make sure it stays safe and sound while they are gone. This can be a fairly easy gig, but also high in demand for many households.

26. Work on a Farm

Are you willing to work hard? You might enjoy working on a farm. I grew up on a farm and know just how important hard working teenagers can be for farm work.

If you live in an area with a lot of agriculture, I recommend asking around to find a few farmers you can talk to. Ask if they are needing any extra help and tell them what hours you would be available to work.

Farm work isn’t easy, but it can be a very fulfilling job. A farmer might hire you to help with animals, move pipe, or drive tractor. This can be a great learning experience for teens!

27. Teach Sport Skills

Teaching sport skills to young kids is a great way for sport loving teens to earn some extra money. Pick a sport that you love and know well, and offer to help kids develop skills with that sport.

You could even plan a day camp for your sport where multiple kids come and learn drills, play games, and do other activities to help them learn.

28. Hang Christmas Lights

Hire yourself out during the Christmas season to hang light on neighbors homes. This is something many busy adults or the elderly would love to hire out so that they don’t have to do it themselves.

Be sure to advertise on a community Facebook page, place flyers around town, and spread the word to your friends and family. Word of mouth is always the best form advertisement!

29. Wash Windows

Another great idea for earning money around the neighborhood is to wash windows. All you need is some water, a good outdoor window cleaner, and a squeegee and you’ll be good to go.

I’m sure you will find plenty of neighbors and friends willing to pay for this service.

30. Work At a Golf Course

You might enjoy working at a local golf course collecting golf balls. This is a great teen job for anyone who loves golf and being outside.

31. Sell Baked Goods

Do you love to bake and spend time in the kitchen? Why don’t you start a baking business? You can make cookies, cakes, brownies, and other goodies and sell them to people in the neighborhood.

Related: Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

32. Start A Blog

Teens can blog too! And you can make money doing it! Yay! Try starting a blog where you share about a topic you are knowledgeable in.

I won’t sugar coat it, starting a blog is hard work and it can take a while to earn money, but over time if you keep working at it, you just might have a profitable business! Here are a few things I wish I had known when I started blogging.

33. Wrap Christmas Presents

Another great job idea during the holiday season is to offer to wrap Christmas presents for people who are just to busy (or don’t enjoy) wrapping the presents themselves.

Tell a few friends, neighbors and family about your new business to see if anyone is interested. If you do a good job they just might tell all of their friends!

34. Use Rakuten

If you ever shop online, I highly recommend using the Rakuten app (or website) to earn money while you are shopping. This is one of the easiest ways to earn extra spending money. Rakuten rewards you with cashback on most of your online purchases.

All you have to do is sign up Rakuten, open the app (or website), click on the store you want to shop at, shop as normal-including checkout. And that’s it! You will be rewarded with a percentage cashback from your purchases.

It is seriously that easy! You probably won’t earn the big bucks doing this, but you can earn some spending money without putting in much effort!

35. Become A Lifeguard

Lifeguarding is a great way for teenagers to make money. Apply at your local swimming pools, health clubs, and parks and rec departments. Many pools will offer lifeguard training and teach you everything you need to know on the job.

36. Sell Items You Don’t Use Anymore

Look around your room and find items that you don’t like or use anymore. These are the perfect items to start selling to earn some cash! You can list them on Facebook marketplace or have a garage sale. Either way will work great!

37. Start A Day Camp For Kids

When my kids were little a few of the teenage girls in our neighborhood planned a fun day camp for the neighborhood kids to go to. They charged a fee, planned games, themes, activities, and snacks. The kids had a great time at the camp, and our teenage friends were able to earn some money!

How To Manage Your Hard Earned Money

Now that you have some ideas of how to earn money, let’s talk about what to do with the money after you’ve earned it! It’s always exciting to earn money and have spending money for your favorite items, but there is more to money than spending it. Here are a few tips to help you start managing your money wisely.

Save Some For A Rainy Day

Life happens, unexpected expenses will come, and it’s important to always have some money saved for when these times come your way. It might be a needed car repair, speeding ticket (oops), or losing a school textbook that you have to replace, you need to have money set aside for all unexpected expenses.

A good rule of thumb for your rainy day fund is to have 3-6 months of expenses saved. To find this number simply add up how much money you spend in a month and times it by 3. This will give you your 3 months of expenses number!

Related: What is an Emergency Fund: Questions and Answers!

Save Some For Fun

Part of the fun of having money is spending it on things that make you happy! It’s OK to spend some of your money on things that you love. Maybe you enjoy going out to eat, buying new clothes, or going to the movies with friends. Don’t spend all of your money on these fun items, but spend some of it! You worked hard and deserve to enjoy it.

Save Some For Future Expenses

You might have items or experiences coming in your future that you need to save for. Maybe you want to buy a car, go to college, or save up for a future home. Be sure to save some of your income for these future expenses.

In Conclusion

There are so many possibilities for teenagers to make money. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and offer your services. I love hiring hard working teens, and I know many other adults feel the same way. You can do it, and you won’t regret it!

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I hope this article gave you some ideas for ways for teenagers to make money.

Gift Ideas for Teen Girls under $25

November 8, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life5 Comments

Budget Friendly Teen Girl Gift Ideas.

Are you needing a gift, maybe a Christmas present or a birthday present, for the teen girl in your life? Are you on a budget and don’t want to overspend? Well you have come to the right place! I have researched all of the best gift ideas for teen girls! The best part? Everything is under $25, so you can stick to that budget! Here are some of the best gift ideas for teen girls.

Gifts for Fun

Karaoke Microphone

This Karaoke Microphone would be so fun for a teen girl party or for anyone who loves to sing! It is compatible with both android and iOS and only costs $19.99!

Coloring Books

Maybe you are shopping for a teen girl that loves art. Coloring can be such a fun way to relax. I loved the inspirational sayings in this coloring book and think they are perfect for teens! It’s a great deal at just $6.99.

Phone Tripod

Let’s face it, teens love to take pictures! This phone tripod looks so fun for setting up cute group photos or selfies. It is currently only $15.98!

PopSockets

If you are shopping for a teen girl with a phone, she will probably enjoy a PopSocket. PopSockets make carrying the phone easier, and able to be propped up using the small stand. This one is a really pretty color and less than $15!

Accessories

Beanie

CC Beanies are all the rage right now with teen girls. These darling CC beanies are only $10.99, with dozens of colors to choose from.

Scrunchies

I never thought scrunchies would come back, but they did, and are super popular with the teen crowd right now! This 12 pack of velvet scrunchies are really cute and a steal at just $8.99.

Backpack Purse

These backpack purses are so cute and trendy right now. My teen daughter loves using her when she goes to the mall or for carrying extra items to school. This backpack is only $24.99!

Teen Girl Gift Ideas For Beauty

Bath Bombs

This set of bath bombs comes with 6 different scents and colors. It’s a fun “luxury” gift for your teen, especially if they love to take baths. The entire set is on sale for just $13.99

Makeup Mirror

This Tabletop Makeup Mirror is a perfect gift for teen girls. The reviews are all great and I was excited to see the price was only $24.49!

Makeup Kit

What teen girl wouldn’t enjoy a new makeup kit??? This starter makeup kit for teens is great for anyone who is new to makeup or just loves it! It includes everything they would ever want in makeup; concealer, eyeshadow, eye liner, lip stick creams, applicator and mirror. You can get it right now for only $22.99, a great deal!

Makeup Brush Set

Another great gift for makeup lovers would be brush set. This 20 Piece Makeup Brush Set is a great deal at only $7.99. They will never want for a makeup brush again!

Gel Nails Kit

I bought my teen girls this gel nails kit a couple of years ago and she uses it weekly. Not only is it very easy to use, but the result are salon quality nails that last for weeks (without chipping!). It’s a great price at just $16.99. You will need to buy the special gel nail polish to go with it though.

Curling Wand

Another fun gift idea for teens is a Curling Wand. This is a great curling wand with over 7,000 positive reviews and makes the most beautiful curls. It is currently only $21.73!

Ipsy Subscription

I have had an ipsy Subscription off and on a few years now. It is a fun beauty subscription service where they will send you 5 beauty products and a cute makeup bag every month for only $12!

When you set up the subscription service you will fill out a form detailing what types of beauty products you would prefer, your coloring and more. This would be a fun gift for a teen girl to receive, even if you only sign up for 2-3 months worth of subscription. It’s a great way to learn new makeup skills and try out new products. Plus, it’s Christmas over and over again with a monthly subscription!

Hair Styling Book

I bought this hair styling book for my daughter last Christmas. She loved it! It gives easy to follow instructions for fixing hair. If you are shopping for a teen girl that loves to experiment with hair, I highly recommend this book. It is currently $15.01.

Makeup Eraser

Help your teen girl erase her makeup with ease by gifting her this makeup eraser. Not only is it chemical free, but it also erases all forms of makeup with ease! It is currently priced at only $20.00.

Books

The Fault In Our Stars

The Fault in our Stars is a story of a sweet teen romance and really popular for most book lovers. The paperback is just $7.69

The Selection

Another great book for teens is The Selection. This book is full of romance, royalty, and a secret plot….basically all the good things! Plus, The Selection is a series so after reading this first book they will want more! You can currently get the paperback for $6.48.

Big Life Journal

I am so in love with the Big Life Journal for Teens. It encourages teens to reflect on themselves and their emotions. Doing this gives them the confidence they need to be themselves through and through. This hardcover journal is just under $25.

Room Decorations

Bluetooth Speaker

Teens love music, so a Bluetooth nightlight would be perfect for them to add to their room to listen to music. This speaker only costs $22.95!

Felt Board

Felt Boards are super trendy right now! Most teen girls would love having them in their room to be able to make fun and cute sayings. This one is only $21.95!

Marquee Letter Sign

Give the teen girl in your life a marquee letter sign with her initial. This makes such a fun room accessory! It is currently only $9.99.

Photo Clip Light Strand

A really fun gift for a teen girls room is this photo clip light strand. It comes with 20 light clips for attaching photos. These lights are the perfect way to add to their room and remember fun times with their friends through photos. You can buy it for just $13.90.

Teen Girl Active Gifts

Gym Bag

If you are shopping for a girl that plays sports, maybe she needs something to help carry all of her gear to/from practice or school. This gym duffel bag is super cute and has sections to keep her wet and dry items separate. You can buy it now for $23.99

Water Bottle

Another great gift idea for the active girl is a stainless steel insulated water bottle. It will keep her water ice cold while exercising or at practice. Plus, the colors are so pretty with a huge variety to choose from. These water bottles are currently $12.95.

25 Gift Ideas for 5-7 year old boys under $25

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10 Valentine Gifts for Her under $10

25 Gift Ideas for Tween Girls; all under $25!

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I hope this list helped you find some gift ideas for teen girls under $25!

Dollar Tree Pantry Organization Tips

November 5, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

How to organize a small pantry on a budget.

I have become slightly (or maybe a lot) obsessed with all of the fun organizing shows on Netflix (hello Home Edit!). These shows have inspired me to tackle my entire home and get it more organized once and for all. I’ve been dreaming of all things baskets and containers (and rainbows…..hello again Home Edit). The only problem with this dream is that baskets and containers can get expensive fast. I knew there had to be a better way, so I went where all frugal people go….The Dollar Tree, of course! And, happily, I found just what I needed for my pantry makeover! Today, I am excited to show you my Dollar Tree pantry organization tips!

I love shopping at my local Dollar Tree because they have a great selection of budget friendly products, and no this post is not sponsored in any way shape or form, just sharing my truth!

The Before

Here is my pantry before the makeover happened. It’s basically just randomly mismatched items placed on shelves. There is really no rhyme or reason about it all.

My goal for my pantry makeover was to create a pantry that was functional, but also pretty! I had the thought that if the pantry is visually appealing we will have more motivation to keep it organized (fingers crossed).

My pantry is also very small, so I needed something to maximize the space, without it looking to cluttered.

The After

And here is my pantry after I organized it! It is nothing fancy, but it looks so much better, don’t you think?!?! And, I only spent $13 on the entire thing! I know, I was shocked too! My budget was set at $20, but I wasn’t complaining when I spent less!

The Containers

I knew I needed containers to give my pantry the makeover it deserved. After browsing a few aisles at the Dollar Tree I came to the food storage section and knew these would be perfect. They could easily be used as a clear basket instead of a food storage container! So, I grabbed 4 of them and left the lids behind.

Next, I wanted to look for something pretty and modern. And, I found exactly what I wanted in the next aisle. Dollar Tree had so many basket options to choose from, I was very impressed!

I ended up buying a few of these pretty purple and gold baskets. Don’t you love them???? Seriously, so pretty!! I couldn’t wait to get home and put them to use.

The Process

Organizing my pantry really didn’t take a lot of work, but it did take some time.

The first step was to take every single thing out of the pantry and place them on my countertop. My kids kept asking me why I was making a mess, but you’ve got to make a mess before you can clean up the mess! Right???? Right!

Once you have taken everything out of your pantry, you can start putting it back, but this time, in an organized fashion. It took me some trial and error to find the right places for everything, but I was able to make it work!

It Needs To Make Sense

When it comes to organizing your home, it is so important that it makes sense to you and your family. My pantry will be different than your pantry, because my families needs are different than yours.

“What makes sense for me?” is the question I kept asking myself as I organized my pantry.

I decided my baking items, such as flour, oil, sugar, etc. needed to be up high because I didn’t use them often. My heavy appliances were placed low, so that I didn’t have to lift them up and down when getting them out. And then everything else, the items we used regularly, were placed at arms height for easy to reach. And this all made sense for me and my Dollar Tree pantry organization.

Snacks

Most of the snacks I have for the kids are misshaped and random. I knew they needed to go into baskets, to help give them a more uniformed and clean look.

All of the packaging and boxes of each snack were thrown away and I was able to find a basket for each snack by category. One basket is for crackers, one for fruit cups, another is for granola bars, and lastly a basket for our pudding mixes.

I love how the baskets made these random items look.

Next up was organizing my clear containers. I used these for some of my basic cooking supplies.

The Home Edit always includes beautiful labels on each of their baskets. But, I decided to just use a dry erase marker! Not only was it free, but it also means I can erase the label and write a new one when needed. Yay!

And lastly, I organized my pasta sauces and noodles in these beautiful gold baskets. They are short enough to easily grab what I need, but oh so pretty!

And now my pantry MAKES SENSE!

In Conclusion

It IS possible to organize your pantry on a budget! I love how my new pantry turned out and I love that I didn’t have to spend a fortune to do it! Remember, to get creative and be willing to think outside of the box.

Dollar Tree Easter Basket Ideas

Baby on a Budget: A First Time Parents Guide to Saving Money

Budget Friendly Birthday Traditions for Kids

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I hope you loved these Dollar Tree Pantry Organization tips.

25 Gift Ideas for Tween Girls; all under $25!

November 1, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Life5 Comments

Cheap gifts for tweens.

Tween girls can be so hard to shop for! They are growing out of the little girl toys, but not quite interested in the teen girl life. Fortunately, I have you covered! With a little bit of research, and discussion with my daughters I was able to make this list of 25 AMAZING gift ideas for tween girls. The best part??? They are all under $25! Yay!

Gifts for Reading

Many girls are interested in reading at this age. Here are a few book ideas for tween girls.

Keeper of the Lost Cities

Keeper of the Lost Cities is a very popular series for this age group. Consider buying her the first book in this series, she is sure to love it! The paperback is only $9.99.

Wreck This Journal

I absolutely love the concept of Wreck This Journal. Each page gives different prompts of things you can do to the journal. It literally gives the kids permission to “wreck” the journal. It sounds so so fun and is only $12.00.

The Tail of Emily Windsnap

The Tail of Emily Windsnap is such a darling book! Both of my daughters absolutely loved it; AND it is a series! That is a huge win for me! The paperback book is $5.99.

Big Life Journal

The Big Life Journal is one of my favorite things for kids. In a fun an interactive way it encourages kids to journal and teaches them how to understand themselves and their feelings better. In a confusing world such as now, helping kids to know themselves better is so important!! This hardcover journal is just under $25.

Tween Accessories/Jewelry/etc.

Tween girls are all about the accessories! Here are a few fun ones they might love!

Unicorn Slippers

Unicorns are super popular among the tween crowd! These Unicorn Slippers are so sweet and fun. They are currently only $20 with great reviews!

Scrunchies

I never thought scrunchies would come back, but they did, and I am actually not mad about it! These Scrunchies are darling and a steal at just $6.99 for a 14 pack!

Gel Nail Polish Kit

I bought my daughter a gel nails kit a few years ago and she uses it weekly. Here is a great starter kit with 4 colors, and portable nail lamp. Plus, it’s currently on sale for $23.99.

Caboodles

Caboodles are all the rage right now, and I love this marbled caboodle. A perfect place for tween girls to start organizing their makeup collection. The price is right at just $19.99.

Necklace

I adore this dainty initial necklace. It would make such a special gift! The necklace is a great price at $15.99.

Gift Ideas for Tween Girls Room

Felt Board

Felt Boards make for really cute room decorations for tween girls. This felt board is only $21.95 and has amazing reviews!

Marquee Letter

Another really fun room decoration is this Marquee Letter Sign. You can choose whichever letter you want for the initial and it’s less than $10!

Emoji Pillow

It’s no secret that tweens love emojis. This emoji pillow is sure to be a hit! They have all the emojis to choose from and only costs $8.19!

Lava Lamp

I always wanted a lava lamp as a young girl, and my girls have felt the same way. There is just something so relaxing about the colors in the lava lamp. This Lava Lamp is so pretty and only costs $22.48!

Alarm Clock

Check out this adorable Alarm clock! I love the retro look it has, and it includes other colors to choose from. It’s currently priced at $11.99.

Educational/Craft Gifts

Are you looking for something educational or maybe a craft for your tween girl to do? These make great gifts because they keep girls entertained, learning and busy…..without electronics!

Adult Coloring Book

If your tween loves to color, they might love this Inspirational Coloring Book. I love that the pages are focused on building confidence and self worth, which is so important for tweens! It’s very affordable at only $6.99!

Slime

Kids are all about the slime, and this Ultimate Slime Kit is perfect for letting them create, experiment, and make all things slime. This kit comes with enough items to make 100 different slime combinations, and it’s a great price at just $20.90!

Lip Balm Kit

How fun does this Lip Balm Kit look? It is a fun mix of science and glam, perfect for pre-teens. The reviews are all really positive and would be a fun activity to do together. It is priced at $24.99.

Cookbook

American Girl just can do no wrong! This American Girl Baking Cookbook is darling and looks so fun. It would be a great way for tween girls to learn to bake. You can get the hardcover for just $13.99!

Fashion Sketch Book

If you are shopping for a girl that loves fashion, check out this Fashion Sketch Book. It comes with stickers, stencils and sketch pages for her to experiment and get creative with different styles. You can get it for only $16.02!

Gel Pens

My daughters love gel pens! The more colors the better! This gel pens kit has 100 colors, including glitter and metallic! The price is great at only $21.99.

Piggy Bank

I think it is so important to teach kids how to save their money. This pineapple piggy bank is so cute and would make saving fun! Plus, it’s only $9.99!

Gifts for Fun

Girls just wanna have fun, right??? Here are a few gift ideas that your tween girl will love using daily!

Karaoke Microphone

This Karaoke Microphone would be so fun for girl parties or for anyone who loves to sing! It is compatible with both android and iOS and it is only $19.99.

Squishmallow

Squishmallows are not only cute, but they are cuddly too! They are the perfect bedtime addition. Your tween girl is sure to love this tabby cat squishmallow.

Gumball Machine

I always wanted my very own gumball machine as a kid. This cute Gumball Machine comes with gumballs already stocked and is only $24.99.

Sleep Over Party Game

This is a really fun party game for tween girls to play with their friends. It can be played at a party, or just for fun! You can buy it for $19.99!

Watch Ya Mouth Game

The Watch Ya Mouth Game is hilarious! It’s impossible not to laugh while playing! Tweens will love playing this with their friends and family. It’s a great price at $19.99!

In Conclusion

There are so many things you can buy for tween girls, that don’t cost a lot of money. Remember, it’s the thought that counts, not the price tag!

Christmas Gift Ideas for Teen Girls under $25

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10 Valentine Gifts for Her under $10

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I hope you loved these gift ideas for tween girls!

How To Make A Recipe Binder

October 28, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Grab your free Recipe Binder Printables below!

You want to know what the biggest game changing with Meal Planning has been??? My Recipe Binder! I made my first recipe binder a few years ago and still use it every single day. This article is all about teaching you how to make a recipe binder for painless meal planning.

What is a Recipe Binder?

A recipe binder is a binder where all of your recipes are organized in one simple spot. Instead of having 5 cookbooks and hundreds of recipe pins saved, you can print off all of your tried and true recipes and keep them organized in one simple spot.

The recipes that you put into this binder should be ones that you have tried multiple times. These are recipes that you want in your regular cooking routine.

How Does a Recipe Binder Help With Meal Planning?

Meal Planning can be made so much easier when you use your binder.

Here’s how I Meal Plan using my Recipe Binder:

Pull out my Binder and look at the Meal Ideas I have previously written down.
Choose a few meals to make throughout the week, writing them down on the Meal Plan printable.
Look through all of the recipes in my binder to find the ingredients I will need to buy at the store that work.
Jot the ingredients down on the shopping list.
And done!

See how easy that was?????

When you meal plan with a recipe binder it takes out the stress of wondering:

What should I make this week?
What foods do we like?
What do I need to buy at the store?

Supplies Needed

To make a recipe binder you will need:

A Binder. I recommend a binder between 1″ to 2″, depending on how many recipes you will be putting in it.
Page protectors. Don’t skip this step! They will keep your recipes fresh for a long time and can be wiped clean. (when I cook, it gets messy…)
Pocket Dividers. Dividers in the binder are great, to help you find all of your food sections quickly. I also love having dividers with pockets, as a place to put all of my random recipes when I don’t have time to organize them.
Recipes. Spend a few hours finding all of your favorite recipes. Don’t forget to look through cookbooks, pinterest, or magazines. Just make sure to only choose the recipes you have tried multiple times and love. The point of the recipe binder is to have one spot for your favorite recipes. You want to be able to open it up and know every recipe inside is a good one.
Recipe Binder Printables. You can grab these for free by signing up for my newsletter below.

Putting it all together

Now, for the fun part, putting the recipe binder together! Fortunately it’s so easy to do too!

First off, slide the Favorite Recipes cover into the front of your binder. It’s always fun to see something pretty from the beginning.

Next, search through all of your cook books and favorite recipes and collect the recipes you want in your binder. You can print these out from the internet, make a copy from your favorite cookbook, or reuse recipes you already have printed.

Once you have found all of your most loved recipes take some time to put them and your Recipe Binder printables into page protectors. This is a great activity to have your kids help with or to do while watching a movie!

Next, take out your pocket dividers and write the different categories you want in your binder onto each tab. A few of the categories I have in my binder are:

Breakfast
Lunch
Appetizers
Salad
Soup
Chicken
Meatless
Drinks
Veggies
Bread
Side Dish
Snacks
Crock Pot
Seafood
Pasta
Pork
Cakes
Pies
Cookies
Dessert

Lastly, put all of your recipes, recipe binder printables, and dividers into your binder. Organize them in the way that will make the most sense to you! I included a blank category so that you can personalize it for the recipes you use most.

Don’t forget to use the Meal Ideas printables. These are really the secret sauce to quick meal planning.

Write down all of the recipes that you chose to include in your binder (remember, these should all be recipes you have already tried and loved) and put these papers at the front of your recipe binder. The next time you can’t think of what to make for dinner, just look at the Meal Ideas in your binder!

Finishing Up

That’s it! Your recipe binder is complete! Now, it’s time to use it regularly. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your recipe binder:

Put it somewhere you will see it often. I keep mine on my cookbook shelf, right next to the kitchen. This makes it easy to grab, and also helps me remember to actually pull it out and use it (which is important….for obvious reasons…..)
Set a specific day each week when you will pull out your recipe binder and meal plan. The day I have chosen is on Sunday afternoons. I am almost always home this day and it’s a great way for me to start the week organized.
Update your binder regularly. As the years go by you will hopefully find new recipes you enjoy, and maybe a few you tire off. Make sure you pull out your binder every now and then, throw out the recipes you don’t enjoy anymore, and add your new favorites.

Need more help meal planning? Check out my article, Start Meal Planning For The Complete Beginner, where I share all of my best tips for beginners to make a successful meal plan.

Alright! It’s your turn! Grab your free Recipe Binder printables below to make your own Recipe Binder today!

Need recipes for your binder????

Are you needing some new, fresh recipes to try? Something easy to make that your family will be sure to love??

Check out my recipe ebook! Mel’s Home Cooking contains over 60 of my favorite, easy, and family friendly recipes.

Want to make rolls, but don’t have time to roll them out??? Try the fairy rolls!

Looking for something different, yet easy, to make your family for breakfast? You will love the Hootenany pancakes!

Are you tired of the same old dinners, but don’t like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen? Try my chicken pesto pasta recipe!

These recipes have all been in my kitchen for decades and I am so excited to share them with you! You can learn more about Mel’s Home Cooking ebook here.

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How To Throw A Cupcake Wars Birthday Party

October 15, 2020 By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

Check out this fun tween birthday party theme!

My middle child turned 12 this month! I can’t believe it and I’m not OK with it, but apparently I don’t get a say! She requested a Cupcake Wars birthday party theme and I immediately loved the idea. Have you ever seen the tv show Cupcake Wars? It’s one of our favorite shows to watch at our house and my daughter loves to bake. There is really no better party for her than a cupcake wars party!

Sweet Frugal Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

What is a Cupcake Wars Party?

Cupcake Wars is a competition between teams to see who can make the best cupcake. Scoring is usually given based on presentation, creativity and taste. In the TV show they have challenges, or a little twist, that the teams have to follow in each round. The challenge make the cupcakes a little more difficult, but can also help you to try new things and get out of your comfort zone.

Cupcake Wars Rules

For our Cupcake Wars birthday party I divided the girls into three teams, with 2-3 girls on each team. They were each assigned a “cooking station” as a spot in the kitchen to create their cupcakes. Every cooking station was stocked with knifes, spoons, bowls, and a plate.

We had three rounds, with a challenge for the round.

The girls had 15 minutes to complete each challenge, which included plating the cupcakes.

After the 15 minutes were up the girls brought their cupcakes to the judging table. The judges were my two other children. They were so excited to get to be the judges and taste all of the cupcakes!

The winner of each round would receive 3 points, second place received 2 points and last place received 1 point. The points were tallied up during all three rounds for a grand winner at the end of the game.

The Food

We had one table set up as the Food Table. It contained the cupcakes, frosting, flavorings, and fun toppings…..basically everything the girls would need to create gourmet cupcakes!

I prebaked 3 different flavors of cupcakes: strawberry, white and chocolate. This was the perfect way to save time during the actual party. The cupcakes were already baked and cooled, and ready to be decorated!

I probably bought to many toppings, but they were so fun to buy!! Make sure you don’t get carried away and buy only what’s needed. They used almost everything that I bought…..except for the raisins….nobody used the raisins…..

Here are a few topping ideas:

Oreos
Jelly beans
Graham Crackers
Sprinkles
Berries
M&Ms
Chocolate Chips
Oreos
Marshmallows

The Challenges

The challenges were so fun! I presented them to the teams at the beginning of every round. Each team was given a brown paper bag with the challenge clue inside. As they ripped open their clue I explained the specific rule for the round.

Challenge #1: Color Challenge

The first challenge was a color challenge. Each group had a different piece of colored paper in their paper bag. The challenge was to use that color somewhere on their cupcake.

This challenge went over really well. It was a great way to allow each team some creativity with how they used their color.

Challenge #2: Fork Challenge

The second challenge was the fork challenge! The rules of this challenge were that they couldn’t use any knives, spoons, or piping bags to decorate their cupcakes. The only utensil they could use was a fork!

Honestly, I was a little worried how this challenge would go over, but the girls did such a great job! You would never know they were decorated with forks!

Challenge #3: Book Challenge

The birthday girl loves to read. So, for the last challenge we put three different books into each bag. The challenge was to decorate the cupcake with that book as the cupcake theme.

I let me daughter choose the books. She chose, Harry Potter, Keeper of the Lost Cities, and Hatchet.

The girls really enjoyed this challenge. Especially Harry Potter….they all wanted the Harry Potter bag!

Cupcake Wars Decorations

We decided to go simple on the decorations because of the amount of food we would be getting. My daughter requested a color scheme of black, white and gold. I thought this was perfect for a classy cooking competition.

My first stop was Hobby Lobby (with coupon in hand, of course!). I love shopping for birthday decorations at Hobby Lobby because of their large selection of colors. You can find just about anything you could imagine at this beautiful store.

The Judges Table

I knew that I needed a place for the judges to sit when tasting the cupcakes, and I wanted it to be decorated as a focus point for the party. I bought a plain white table cloth and adorable black and white table runner at Hobby Lobby.

The gold plates came from Dollar Tree and the paper plates came from my kitchen! (yay! love when that happens!)

The darling Cupcake Wars banner hung at the window came from Paging Supermom. It was a free printable and I am so excited I found it!

We placed the cupcake stand on the table as a place for the girls to place their cupcakes when they were ready for them to be judged! It worked perfect!

Cooking Stations

I wanted to make a cute focal point over the girls baking stations, something fun to make decorating special. The gold lanterns were bought at Hobby Lobby and I made the tissue paper pom-poms using tissue paper we already had at home. Tissue paper pom-poms are so easy to make yourself! Check out my Tissue Paper Pom-Pom Tutorial.

Party Favors

I love to make party favors as part of the party! So, for a Cupcake Wars birthday party I knew aprons would be the perfect favor!

Each girl was given an apron before they game started. I am so glad I did this too!! The aprons were all very messy after the party, so I’m glad we had their clothes protected.

I bought my aprons on Amazon here. They were perfect!

The other favor the girls received was a cupcake in a cupcake box.

At the end of all three rounds of the Cupcake Wars, I let each girl pick two cupcakes. One of the cupcakes was to put in their cupcake box and the other one was to eat right then. (this also doubled as the cake, easy peasy!)

In Conclusion

The party ended up being a huge hit! Everyone had so much fun and I loved seeing their creativity in each cupcake. If you have a child who loves to bake or enjoy watching cooking shows, I am sure they would love this tween birthday party theme!

You might also enjoy these related articles:

Budget Friendly Pancake and Pajamas Birthday Party!

How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag

25 Gift Ideas for Tween Girls; all under $25!

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