Making Steps Count

As most of my readers know, I keep a count each day of my steps.

I also count all my calories which has become an easy task thanks to the MyFitnessPal app on my smartphone.

At the end of each day, I log my steps (or miles) at the beewellforlife.com website.

I get "credit" for the steps and calories, and a donation is made to the American Diabetes Assoc and the Women Heart group from the Bumble Bee Foods that sponsors the program.

I have done this for a few years now, and it only takes a minute to help out others in this small way.

I have just recently joined the Walgreens Rewards program, and have checked it out online to track my "points"

There is a load of info on that site, and I discovered the Walk with Walgreens program that they have.

Wouldn't you know, I can track my steps there too, and with the new rewards program they have, I can earn points on my account with my steps.

And when I have earned enough points, I can redeem them for a discount when I check out in the store or online.

Saving money is always right up my alley - so it is a win-win situation all the way around.

Free Layaways!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kmart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Free is always good, and when you find a free layaway progam, it is even better.

I haven't used a layaway program in years, but I can see where this holiday season , it might be just the thing to do for all those holiday gifts on the list.

So many times we have gone shopping only to find that what we wanted to get was already gone - and the remaining selection was not going to fit the bill.

So, shopping early this season, and putting everything on layaway makes sense, especially now with the Kmart's Big Layaway Giveaway that is going on until 11/17/12.

Beginning 9/9/12, K-Mart will be giving their layaway customers a chance to have their remaining balance paid in full.

Each week there will be a lucky winner, so the sooner the layaway is placed, the more chances you have of winning.

And to make using this service easier - layaways can be placed online - and the payment can be made online too.

That certainly makes it easier than in the old days when you had to drive down and make the payment each week at the store. These days that saves on the gas too!

And everything in the store can be put on layaway, unlike many of the other stores such as Walmart, Best Buy, or Toys R Us.

Time to go shopping for some high-tech gifts on that holiday list:

Check out why layaways at K-Mart are the best deal compared to some other major retailers:

 

Serene Swim

The days are getting shorter as the sun sets earlier and earlier each evening.

The swim area at the lake is now closed for the season - there was hardly anyone in it the last couple of weeks anyway.

The cooler nights have made the water too cold for most folks.

But not us.

We are still down there everyday - parking outside the gate and walking down to the beach.

I will admit, that lake water is a bit chilly at first, but once we get ourselves motivating along the swim lines, we are just fine.

In fact, the air is colder than the water when we finally drag ourselves out of it.

And yesterday was one of the best days this past season that we have had for swimming.

The water was pure glass - we were gliding through it slowly - taking care not to create splashes that would disturb that serene surface.

It was beautiful - and the late afternoon light added to the mood perfectly.

As we were drying beside the water's edge, just before we left, Mother Nature gave us a wonderful gift.

According to my phone, it was exactly 5:40, and that must have been when the underwater dinner bell was rung.

All over the surface of the lake, little mouths were popping up and catching the floating bugs for their dinner.

It was quite the site, and to think we almost left directly after the swim due to the chilly air.

Our lake has given us many gifts through the years, and I can see she still has a few surprises left for us.

Haircuts for School

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Regis Family of Brands for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I remember well those last couple of weeks bofore the kids went back to school.

All the rushing around to get just the right clothes.

And the shoes had to be a certain brand and style.

They were not usually too fussy about the paper and notebooks, or many of the other classroom supplies.

As long as they had what was required they were fine.

The book bags were another matter though - even worse than the clothes or shoe shopping.

Color, style, name, size and gadget pockets were a choice that had to made by them alone - my suggestions didn't count here.

But one of the toughtest chores of sending them back to school was the haircuts.

According to them it took too long, could never be scheduled at the right time, and worse of all, they hated how they came out - even if it was the same old regular one they always got.

We learned to get it a couple of weeks before school actually started.  That way it would have time to grow a bit and settle in.

My kids have been out of school for years now, but I am betting not much has changed in getting them ready to back with today's generation.

There are many salons now that cater to kids and actually make it a fun thing for them to get a stylish haircut.

And to make it easier on the pocketbook, Haircut Coupon-a-thon is having a great deal - haircuts for $7.99 or $9.99 at many of your favorite salons.

And this coupon can be used by adults too and it expires on 9/30/12.

And are you using your coupon on a mobile device? To redeem your coupon: Touch and hold to save the coupon image.  Show coupon to your stylist.

Are you having trouble printing the coupon? Email department@regiscorp.com with the salon brand you'd like to visit and we'll send you a coupon.

Whipped Butter

I just discovered a really great frugal idea, and it has been around for years.

Whipped Butter - and not the kind you buy at the market.

That is not a frugal idea since it costs as much as the un-whipped kind we are all familiar with, and you get half the amount.

I did buy a small tub of it at the market as that was my only choice for the situation I needed butter for, but that will be my last time buying it.

My husband actually liked it.

And he was getting less of that fat each time he used it as whipped butter has a lot of air in it.

It still looked like he was getting a lot though - and that's what counts to him.

So, by using whipped butter, one is cutting down on the fat intake in their diet.

And by whipping it yourself, the savings really begin to add up.

I used two sticks of softened butter and 1/4 cup of milk to make mine.

I used the whipping attachment on my electric mixer, and I set it to the fastest setting.

It took quite a bit longer than I thought it would, but eventually I began to see an increase in the amount of butter in the mixer bowl.

It close to doubled the amount of un-whipped butter.

I keep it stored in the refrigerator in a covered container and can take it out when it is needed.

It spreads so much easier even when it's cold - so you don't have to give it time to warm up to use it on the soft bread.

I will advise though - don't use it for recipes, as they need a certain amount of fat so it turns out correctly,  and whipped butter with all it's air will not work.