Christmas on a budget.

My husband lost his job a year ago, and I've been out of work for quite some time. So, aside from getting myself a seasonal job which pays a little bit, we've been relying on unemployment (which, as some of you may know, is next to nothing). My dear, sweet hubby had been stressing more and more as each day brought us closer and closer to holiday shopping.

Thankfully, I had already prepared for this! By the time Black Friday rolled around, we already had about 90% of our shopping done! Really, we only needed to go out on Black Friday for gifts for eachother (mostly the hubs. I had already gotten most of his gifts, too)! How? Well, it took a little elbow grease, but not a lot. I used a ton of different sites to get free gift cards, and I also had several Kohl's promo cards to use! Additionally, there are a number of daily deal sites that offer free credits.

So, how do you get free gift cards? Well, it's super simple. There are quite a few sites that reward you with gift cards for doing various things. Here are my top picks:

Crowdtap

Crowdtap is simple to use. Do Quick Hits (answer a question), Missions, and Actions to boost your points. Once you reach a certain amount of points, you can cash out for things like Amazon gift cards!

Swagbucks. Swagbucks gives you points for tasks like searching the web, doing surveys, watching videos, and more! This has been the most profitable for me! You can redeem SBs for a number of things, gift cards, electronics, and more!

Mypoints. You don't need to make a purchase through mypoints in order to earn gift cards! I just do the emails, and I also get points for doing bzzactivities through BzzAgent! Super easy!

Surveyhead. Take surveys and you can choose from a number of different gift cards!

Fab. Fab is a great daily deal site that has a ton of cool, unique stuff. They give you a $10 credit when you sign up, plus they occaisionally give credits just because.

One Kings Lane. This is another daily deal site, which I have written about before. I used my free $15 credit to get a glazed terra cotta candle holder for my mom, which turned out to be way bigger than I thought, and it was gorgeous!

This year, I have earned $175 in free gift cards (most of them were from SwagBucks), plus I've received arond $60 in free credits from various daily deal sites. And those Kohl's promo cards I mentioned? I have gotten at least four of them over the last year. They are $10 off of $10 minimum purchase, and they are valid with sale items! I like to match those with $10 sale items, so I get stuff for free! I tend to get Amazon gift cards, that way I can find the best deals on awesome stuff...and free shipping!

Review- Burt's Bees Intense Hydration

It's fall, and you know what that means. Dry, itchy skin. I have dry skin normally, but during the fall and winter it's even worse. So when I receieved a BzzCampaign invite a few weeks ago for Burt's Bees Intense Hydration, I was super stoked! I love Burt's Bees products, and the fact that I was getting something to try out on my super dry skin made me giddy!



I was a little skeptical at first, because I've tried numerous products in the past that were supposed to be fantastic at rehydrating dry skin and having no luck. Plus, I'd never heard of this clary sage stuff that they were taking about. When the package finally arrived, I wasted no time trying everything out. I got a cream cleanser, a face mask, and a night cream...all full size! Plus, I got little samples of the night cream and day lotion to pass around. I have to admit, I tested one of the day lotions. WOW!

Unfortunately, in my excitement I forgot to take a before picture of my skin. So, I'll just describe it to you: my skin was flaky, a little red, tight and yet somehow oily (which I assume is my skin trying to overcompensate for being super dry), and every little line and flaw was made even more visible because of the dryness. It was so terrible! I gotta tell you, it's sort of depressing for a lady in her mid-twenties to have skin that bad. It makes you feel less than confident.

I've been using Burt's Bees Intense Hydration every day since I got my kit, and my skin has never looked better! No lie! My skin is smooth, supple, and bright. My pores are less visible, as well as my laugh lines. I literally cannot stop touching my face! I've been receiving complements left and right. It's awesome! We've been having dry weather lately, and my skin isn't even itchy. Sweet!

Thanksgiving week - Pumpkin Cupcakes!

On Wednesday, I made pumpkin cupcakes for my friend David's birthday. Oh man, they were awesome! For months I'd been dreaming of pumpkin and spice, and cinnamon buttercream. And I finally fulfilled that fantasy. These cupcakes were a SMASH! Light and fluffy, with frosting that wasn't too sweet.

Doesn't that look like a yummy cupcake? I just had to put a little candy pumpkin on top. So cute!

(Recipe adapted from About.com)

2 1/4 sifted all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/2 c butter
2 eggs, beaten until frothy
1 c pumpkin puree
3/4 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sift together flour, bakings powder, baking soda, salt, and spices into a bowl. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, and then beat in eggs and vanilla. Blend in pumpkin.Alternately stir in milk and dry ingredients until batter is smooth. Spoon batter into papaer cups (you can greas and flour them if you wish, I did not). Fill about 2/3 full. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Once my cupcakes were cool, I made a basic vanilla buttercream frosting, to which I added cinnamon. No exact science here, just make your frosting and add cinnamon to taste. Decorate any way you like, and enjoy!

Thanksgiving week recipe #2 - Mashed butternut squash

I love, love, LOVE, mashed potatoes. However, sometimes I look for something a little different. I saw that my local grocery store had butternut squash for a great price, so I grabbed some and headed home!

When I got home, it occurred to me that I have no butternut squash recipes. None. Heck, I didn't even reall know how to cook it in a basic way! Thankfully, my MSL (Martha Stewart Living) had come in, so I flipped through it hoping to find something. And find something, I did! Inside was a basic recipe for mashed butternut squash. And, aside from the peeling and chopping of the squash, it's reall easy to make!

(Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe)

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into small chunks
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste
a pinch of nutmeg

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Peel, and cut into one inch chunks. Place in a pot and cover with water. Boil until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Drain, and mash in your preferred method (I used an old-timey potato masher, but you could use a ricer or whatever). Add butter, salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving week! Recipe 1 - Cranberry Sauce

With Thanksgiving a week away, I've been on a bit of a holiday flavor kick! Yesterday, I made Cranberry Pork Roast in my trusty slow cooker. I also made some super cute pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon vanilla buttercream frosting for my friend David's birthday.

So, I've decided to dedicate the next week of posts to Thanksgiving/Thanksgiving-inspired recipes! Don't worry, I'll keep them simple and budget-friendly! Today, I'm going to share my favorite Thanksgiving recipe: Homemade Cranberry Sauce. It may sound difficult, but it isn't! I just love the flavors!

(This recipe is adapted from a Tyler Florence recipe)

16 oz cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/2 c. packed brown sugar (or more, if you like a sweeter sauce)
1 large cinnamon stick, or several small ones

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature or cool and refrigerate. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

Super simple, right? I made this for the first time six years ago, and my in-laws have requested it every year since then! Try it! You'll never go back to canned!

BzzCampaign - Pork. Recipe included!

I'm a BzzAgent. I know I may have mentioned that before, but I really enjoy saying it. What is that, you ask? A BzzAgent is a person who trys stuff and spreads the word about said products (basically). So, down to the nitty gritty: I'm in the Pork Be Inspired campaign, which is actually kind of fun. Why? Well, I get to try out new and exciting recipes involving pork. Recipes I may have been to lazy to try before.



My BzzKit came a week ago or so, and I was pleased by what was inside. In addition to some great coupons, I also received a silicone basting brush and a digital meat thermometer, as well as some recipes, and a small booklet with pork facts. I was amazed to find that pork loin is leaner than boneless skinless chicken breast! Who knew? I prefer pork loin to most other cuts most of the time, however it can get fairly pricey. Thankfully, I had a $5 off coupon that came in my kit, and it just so happened that Ralph's had a sale on pork loin! Score!

So, tonight I'm making Cranberry Pork (slow cooker recipe):

2 1/3 - 3 lb pork loin roast
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
pepper

Sprinkle pork with pepper and place in slow cooker. Add chopped onion. Mix together cranberry sauce and soy sauce, then pour over pork and onions. Cook on low for 7 hours.

TADA! That's it! You can tweak this recipe any way you like, it will still turn out great! It's a great meal, and pairs nicely with mashed butternut squash!

How To Make Pumpkin Puree.

It's that time of year again. You just finished cleaning up the Halloween decorations, and it dawns on you that Thanksgiving is right around the corner! One thing you can look forward to? Pumpkin pie, and lots of it! But pumpkins can be used in a number of ways. All you need is the right base!

Sure, you can buy a can of pumpkin puree at the grocery store. It's convenient, it's quick...what's not to love? With the many varieties of pumpkins everywhere you look, why not explore a little? Here's a step by step guide on making your own pumpkin puree:

1) Pick your pumpkin- The first thing you need to know is that the standard jack-o-lantern pumpkins aren't very good for eating. They're meant to be carved. Choose a good baking pumpkin, like the Sugar (which is most commonly used) or Fairytale varieties. A four pound pumpkin should yield about 4 cups of puree.

2)Choose your method- You can make puree one of two ways: baking or boiling. If you decide to bake, make sure your oven is at 350*F. Otherwise, have a very large pot handy. I recommend baking the pumpkin, since it's less time consuming all around.

3)Cut the pumpkin- Carefully cut the pumpkin in half widthwise and seed it, making sure to remove any of the stringy bits. Discard the seeds, or roast them if you wish! Make the most of it! For baking the pumpkin, place the two halves in a roasting pan or sheet pan with about 1 c. water and bake for 90 minutes (more if necessary). For boiling, cut the pumpkin into smaller chunks, add to the pot, and cover with water.

Puree- Once you remove the pumpkin from the oven (or pot), it's time to act fast. Use a spoon to scrape the cooked pumpkin from the shell while it's still warm, otherwise it will be too hard to work with. You may want to wear oven mitts! Add to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. If you're worried about chunks, run the puree through a mesh strainer.

You may use the puree right away, or you can store it in the freezer for later use.

Filippo Berio Olive Oil - Review and Recipe!

I recently recieved a bottle of Filippo Berio olive oil from BzzAgent for a campaign. Let me start by saying that I've tried many, many brands of olive oil, and have never really found one that I love. Until now, that is. I honestly enjoyed Filippo Berio EVOO so much that it was gone before I knew it! Seriously! It's light flavor is a good accompaniment to any dish.

I used it for drizzling, frying....literally anything I could think of. My favorite recipe, however, was the Mediterranean Rice Salad recipe I found. Yum!


1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups chopped spinach leaves
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
1 cup crumbled feta cheese


1. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp. salt and the rice. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
2. In a large bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, pepper, pepper flakes, and remaining tsp. salt.
3. Add rice to dressing and toss to combine. Add spinach, toss, and let sit until no longer steaming, about 20 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Since I didn't have olives (also, I don't really like them) I substituted one medium tomato. You can use dried oregano if you don't plan on eating it right away. I recommend placing it in the refrigerator for about an hour. I also added a little dried mint (you could also use fresh mint if yo have it). WOW! What a great side dish for the summer :)

Get free stuff!

I am an agent. A BzzAgent. If you don't know what this is, let me explain.

I get free products (food, cosmetics, etc.) and then I review it and tell people about it. BzzAgent.com is a WOM (word of mouth) site, helping new products gain traction. It's very simple, very easy, and fun! They send you invites for campaigns to try new products, and the more active you are the better. On friday I recieved a package containing Hill's Science Diet Grain Free cat food (normally somewhere in the neighborhood of $14) absolutely free. My cat loves it! I've never seen her go as crazy over ANY food as she has with this one.



Not all campaigns are free. Some are at a major discount, but as of yet I haven't paid for anythng. You can chose to opt out of those if you wish. The best part? You get to keep what you test out! I recommend becoming a BzzAgent. It's worth it!

Free card! YAY!

If there's one thing I love, it's free stuff.

Right now Cardstore.com is giving away free cards to the first 10,000 people who use the code FREECARD121.

I picked out a cute one for Valentine's Day!

Weird tip #1

If you're like me and you have a tendancy to spill stuff on yourself no matter what you're doing or how careful you are, this tip will definitely come in handy.

The other day I got some olive oil on my BRAND NEW t-shirt while I was cooking. Everyone knows how hard it is to get greasy, oily stains out of clothes, and I went into panic mode. I scoured the internet for the solution to my oily problem. Most things I'd already tried before on other clothing with little to no help. And then I found it. The weirdest sounding treatment yet. WD-40. No kidding.

I was reluctant at first, so I got an old shirt and dabbed a little oil on it. I waited until it dried, then I grabbed my WD-40 and went at it. You just spray it on the grease stain (make sure you have something between the stain and the other side of clothing so as not to make matters worse) and let it soak in for a few seconds.

Next, pour some DISH soap (the kind that fights grease) on the blobs and let that soak in. If you must spread it around, do it gently. BUT make sure not to rub it in. Let that soak for a few minutes, then wash as normal.

This will absolutely save me from having to buy expensive and ineffective stain removers! YAY!

$15 free credit = get something cool for free!

I know I missed the holidays with this one, but you never know when a free $15 credit will come in handy. I recently discovered through a friend the joy of OneKingsLane.com. It's a site that sells fairly unique items at a discount. Supplies are limited, and sales open pretty early in the morning. So you have to act fast! I recently got a very cool (and larger than expected) handle holder...for FREE. I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $7 for shipping, but I saved $15 on the pretty blue terra cotta holder by using the free credit I got for signing up.
It is going to stay in my gift stash. Not a bad money-saving gift idea, if you ask me.

Midnight Chocolate Cake

The other night I was up watching TV with the roommate when suddenly it hit me. That niggling craving for chocolate. It just wouldn't go away. But, being as I'm very broke, I couldn't just hop over to ye olde 7-11. So, after searching my pantry for supplies, I decided to bake a chocolate cake.
Thankfully I had enough supplies left over from my holiday baking to do so! I discovered a recipe for chocolate cake on the back of my Hershey's cocoa box. Sounded good, but I was missing a few things. So, I improvised!

Here is my altered version:

2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Grease (and flour, if desired) 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

I used the Cake Doctor Fluffy Chocolate frosting recipe for this cake, also. They go very well together!

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons boiling water, plus additional if needed
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar, more if needed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the cocoa comes together into a soft mass. Add the butter and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is soft and well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Place the confectioner's sugar and vanilla in the bowl, and beat with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 2 minutes more. Add more boiling water, a teaspoon at a time, or more confectioner's sugar, a tablespoon at a time if the frosting is too thick or too thin to your liking.


So, this will be my new go-to recipe when I want chocolate. Even at midnight :)

Earn Extra part 1: Swagbucks

Looking for a great way to earn gift cards, e-books, posters, etc?Swagbucks is a great start! Here's how it works:

Complete tasks, participate in daily polls, take surveys, play games to earn points. You can even earn points for using the search engine! I use it pretty much everyday and have earned a TON of points! Then, turn those points into something you want (hello, amazon gift card!).

New users earn points just for signing up, and you earn 50 points when your birthday rolls around! I highly recommend Swagbucks. Check it out for yourself!