Purchase Gift Cards at a Discount with Gift Card Rescue

*Sponsored Post brought to you by Gift Card Rescue So, have you followed my advice and started saving up gift cards to spend at Christmas? I’ll be honest - I haven’t yet. Life has been kind of crazy and in upheaval from the beginning of this year, but now that things are starting to settle down - and I actually have a working budget written out to start in April - I’m definitely going to get started on this year’s Christmas stash of gift cards.

Whether or not you choose to save money for Christmas in this way (although I honestly think it’s a great way for anybody and everybody to pay for Christmas!), you will still like what I have to share with you today. Because whether or not you use gift cards to buy Christmas gifts, you’re likely going to want to give away a gift card or two for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, Admin Professionals Day, birthdays, anniversaries, and just-because-I-love-you days.

And when you go to buy those gift cards, make Gift Card Rescue your first stop. Gift Card Rescue is a trade-in service for gift cards - if you have one you don’t want, you trade it in for cash. They, in turn, sell it at a discount to someone who does want it. You don’t have to trade in gift cards to get access to their collection of cards for sale, most of which are at least 5% off, some up to 30% off the cash value!

You know I’m always interested in saving money wherever I can, and this is a fabulous and simple way to do that: purchase a gift card at a discount, and you’re automatically getting a sale price on whatever you buy with that card!

And you can rest assured that the gift cards are legitimate and will work. I had the privilege of using a gift card to Payless from Gift Card Rescue, and bought myself some super cute black flats and a whole set of bangle bracelets. The magnetic strip on the card was worn, but the cashier just typed in the card’s account number and it worked just as well. If for some reason your card does not work as advertised, Gift Card Rescue backs up their cards with a 90-day guarantee, and you can get a refund or be issued a new card to replace the defective one.

Chances are, though, your discounted gift card will work just fine, enabling you to buy gifts (for others… or for yourself!) for less, and, of course, save up for a debt-free Christmas!!

 

5 Nutritious Free Foods From Your Backyard! {Guest Post}

backyard foraging

Many thanks to Kristen of Smithspirations for guest-posting for me today as I am busy in the middle of moving! Please visit her site and say “hey” for me!

Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies. I just love going outside, picking a fresh bunch of vegetables and herbs, and walking into my kitchen to cook or prepare them. Right on par with my gardening affections is my fascination with using the many edible weeds that grow in my backyard. Most of us have no idea how many weeds that we consider bothers are actually tasty and nutritious foods! I’m excited to share with you five of my favorites that are well-known, nutritious, tasty, and easy to find.

Before you go picking and eating, keep in mind some foraging basics. Make sure that you only gather edible wild foods where you have the right to do so. Choose places that haven’t been contaminated with pesticides or other harmful chemicals; urban roadsides or sprayed lawns are places to avoid. Lastly, and most importantly, check before you chew. Make sure you know that you have positively identified your plant and haven’t mistaken it for a potentially harmful look-alike.

And now… on to the food!

dandelion flowers and leaves

Dandelion

Everyone is familiar with dandelions. Children love them for making bouquets, and adults tend to hate them for marring their lawns. But how many of us know that dandelions are nutritional powerhouses? Chock full of nutrients like beta-carotene, iron, calcium, B vitamins and other vitamins and minerals, dandelions offer a greater nutritional punch than spinach and other domesticated greens for the great price of free. Dandelions are usually best harvested in the early spring and late fall.

Young dandelion greens can be enjoyed raw in salads, as can the yellow flowers (minus the bitter green sepals, which are the small green leaves that hug the base of the flower). I like the leaves better cooked. Just sautéing them renders them quite bitter, but gently simmering them in a sauce or other liquid for about ten minutes after sautéing removes the bitterness, leaving you with a nutritious, economical, and tasty green side dish! Dandelion roots and leaves also make a very healthful tea that supports the liver. I like to roast freshly dug and washed roots and dry the leaves in the fall to have a detoxifying tea through the winter.

violet flower and leaves

Violets

Violet flowers not only look pretty, they also have a taste very similar to black pepper, and we enjoy them raw. I love sending my children out to gather violets for salads. They are so easy to spot and identify, and they add a wonderfully spiciness to an ordinary salad of garden veggies. My children think that it is so neat to eat wild flowers in their salads, and I think it makes them more willing to eat their greens. Though we usually just eat the flowers, violet leaves are also edible and said to be tasty anywhere other cooked greens would be used. You can find violets in the spring. Please know that African violets, the popular houseplants, are poisonous and not safe to eat.

purslane

Purslane

I’ve recently started seeing purslane seeds in the seed catalogs I get in the winter, but I never have any trouble finding purslane in my yard. These succulent plants with thick red/purple stems and plump oval-shaped green leaves are a common weed found in many gardens. When looking for purslane, be sure that the leaves have no dark spots and that the stems aren’t wiry. That plant might be spotted spurge which somewhat resembles purslane and is poisonous.

Purslane is excellent raw in salads or on sandwiches. It has a nice mild flavor, somewhat sweet and sour, and a juicy crunch that my children especially enjoy. You can also cook it by steaming, sauteing, boiling, or stir-frying for about 10 minutes. When it comes to nutrition, it is hard to beat purslane. It’s bursting with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A and C, and minerals like calcium, potassium, and iron. According to foraging expert Steve Brill, purslane is one of the most nutritious plants on the planet! I’ve heard of it becoming a popular ingredient at fancy posh restaurants now, too. I’ll probably just eat it at home and pretend to be posh.

chickweed

Chickweed

I finally realized what chickweed was this past year while gardening and constantly pulling out mats of a green weed with small leaves, tender stems, and itty bitty white flowers. Once I realized I could eat it, I couldn’t believe all of the food that was dumped into the compost bin! Along with being delicious, another great thing about chickweed is that you can often find it during colder seasons, allowing you to enjoy free greens for a greater part of the year.

Raw chickweed has a wonderfully sweet green flavor. I like to chop it up fine for salads. You can also quickly saute it, and I’ve found it to be an excellent ingredient for egg frittatas or omelets in place of spinach. If you like sprouts on your sandwiches or wraps, you might just find chickweed to be an excellent addition or substitute! Another highly nutritious plant, it provides ample amounts of vitamins A, C, and D, along with folic acid, calcium, potassium, zinc, iron, and other nutrients.

sheep sorrel

Sheep Sorrel

A neighbor once allowed me to taste some sorrel that was growing near his house years ago, and I had never tasted anything like it. It looks like a baby spinach leaf with rounded points on the sides, but tastes like lemons! I decided to grow a garden variety so that I could enjoy it at our new house, but was delighted last year to find a patch growing in our backyard. Like most other wild greens, sorrel provides a host of various nutrients. The best time to find sorrel is in the early spring and fall.

Its bright, strong, lemony flavor is a nice addition to salads, sandwiches, soups, and casseroles. If you have a recipe that calls for spinach, chard, or kale, throwing in some sorrel leaves just might take the dish to a whole new level! One of the best chicken soups I’ve made had a few handfuls of sorrel in it, and our whole family was amazed at the flavor. The leaves cook quickly, so try adding them during the last 10-20 minutes of cooking time for a soup or other dish.

Want more ideas and information?

There are so many more delicious, nutritious, and free foods available to us in our backyards. I love my Wild Edibles app, available both as a free “lite” version and a paid full version with over 150 plants listed. There are loads of photographs, illustrations, and information relating to harvesting, seasons, nutrition, recipes, and more. If you are interested in wild foods, I highly recommend it! No smart phone? No problem! “Wildman” Steve Brill’s website has a great section all about some of the most common wild plants in the United States area.

My name is Kristen Smith, and I am above all else a Christian, filled with God’s Holy Spirit, and living by every Word of God and that only by the grace of God. I am married to the handsome and admirable Jesse Smith, my high school sweetheart, pastor, and best friend. We have been blessed thus far by four precious children here and one waiting in heaven. I thoroughly enjoy homeschooling our older children in the Charlotte Mason and Classical styles; cooking real, whole foods via traditional, nourishing methods; living a more natural, DIY, and economical style of life; venturing into creative projects when I can somehow make the time.

Have Christmas Gifts Paid For Before December

Tough decisions
Most of us cannot squeeze the expenses of Christmas - gifts, food, outings, etc. - into a regular month’s budget, which is why the typical family ends up putting hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on credit cards at the end of year and crossing their fingers that they can pay for it before the process starts again the next December.

We are committed to NOT getting in debt for Christmas, so we’ve learned some ways to make it work:

Buy Gift Cards Throughout the Year

There is another great idea I read in a magazine several years ago that we have implemented a few times with some success. The idea is to set aside money every month (or every paycheck, whichever is more convenient) throughout the year to spend at Christmas, but instead of setting up a separate savings account (which is, of course, an excellent option), use that money to buy gift cards at stores you know you will shop during the Christmas season. You can even purchase gift cards to grocery stores and restaurants for the extra food you will buy and eat out during the busy season.

I personally like to buy gift cards to Target, Kohls, Bath & Body Works, and Amazon.com gift cards (from Swagbucks) to use throughout the Christmas season as well.

Save Even More Money

I like to purchase the gift cards at a discount through places like Gift Card Rescue, where people trade in their legitimate unused gift cards or store credit cards, which are then offered for sale at a discount. Since most of the gift cards are at least 5%, and often more like 10%, off the value, I think it’s a better deal than opening a savings account that might earn you a percentage or two of interest during the course of the year. Sign up for their newsletter so you can keep on top of the gift card deals.

Another option is to earn gift cards through places like Swagbucks and My Points. (I just cashed in a $10 gift card to WalMart!)

To make sure I don’t inadvertently use the gift cards, I keep them in a marked envelope stashed somewhere out-of-the-way in my home (this year, that place was my DH’s sock drawer).

If you are diligent about purchasing (or otherwise procuring) these gift cards throughout the year, then come Christmas season, you will be ready to handle whatever expense is thrown your way!

How do you budget for Christmas spending?

This post contains sponsored links.

A Simple Christmas Tip #22 – Buy Gift Cards Throughout the Year


If you want more information, click here or on the graphic itself to take you to a full-length post on the topic. Click here to see all the posts in this series.

Come back tomorrow for another quick tip to help you simplify your Christmas by focusing less on spending and more on celebrating.

ONE Loyalty Card Instead of Fifteen? Yes, Please!

You know how I feel about saving money on groceries. I even wrote a book about it. Although I buy a lot of food at local stores, a local farm, warehouses and other sources, I still do a significant amount of grocery shopping at actual grocery stores. A key component to saving money at a grocery store is to take advantage of their sales combined with coupons (where available).

It gets complicated, though, because each grocery store (with one or maybe two exceptions) only allows you to access your deals through membership to their savings club (or whatever they choose to call it). And that means you can only get the sales prices if you scan your membership card at the register.

For someone who likes things to be as simple and uncomplicated as possible… it’s a nightmare. Right now, I’m planning my monthly grocery shopping trip, and I have no less than 5 grocery store ads sitting on my table. All but one of them require a membership card to get the deals, which means that all of those cards are filling up my wallet and weighing down my key chain.

This does not include loyalty cards to non-grocery stores like bookstores, office supply stores, warehouse club stores and more. These days, it’s rare for a store to offer you their sales prices without requiring a card to track your purchases.

As much as I would prefer to shop without such hassles (although then I suppose one would run into the issue of tracking via credit card numbers like Target does… which I definitely do NOT like!), it’s just a fact of modern life, which is why I‘m excited about a new program that would help all of us consumers reduce the number of cards in our wallets - and on our keychains - to one simple little card.

It’s called the LOC Card. It’s still brand new, and not readily available just quite yet, but it promises to be the next best thing since sliced bread.

Here’s how it works:

  • You pick up a FREE LOC Card at any merchant that participates in the program.
  • Once your LOC Card is swiped at the register, you can use it to replace that store’s loyalty card.
  • You can then begin to use your LOC Card at any participating retailer, replacing each individual loyalty card with that one LOC Card.
  • You can keep track of all your loyalty programs and rewards by registering your card on the website.
  • All your information is private and securely protected. In fact, you are not required to share any personal information (unless you register on the website and create an account).
  • Once you have a LOC Card, you can also access the free app for your smart phone to keep track of all your loyalty programs there.

LOC Card is still in the process of signing up merchants and getting things rolling, but you can help spread the word and make this a reality. “Like” their page on Facebook and enter the “Show Your Cards” Contest. Snap a picture of your pile of loyalty cards or your keyring of loyalty cards, and be entered to win $50! Three people will win… and who doesn’t love free money?

You can also suggest your favorite retailers on LOC Card’s website.

Still curious? Watch this video for more information (and don’t forget to follow LOC Card on YouTube for even more informative videos):

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

If you like the LOC Card concept, be sure to give them a holler (or a tweet, I guess!) on Twitter, and let them know I sent you.

A Simple Christmas #10 – Go Without Gifts


If you want more information, click here or on the graphic itself to take you to a full-length post on the topic. Click here to see all the posts in this series.

Come back tomorrow for another quick tip to help you simplify your Christmas by focusing less on spending and more on celebrating.

A Simple Christmas Tip #9 – Give Gifts from Your Kitchen


If you want more information, click here or on the graphic itself to take you to a full-length post on the topic. Click here to see all the posts in this series.

Come back tomorrow for another quick tip to help you simplify your Christmas by focusing less on spending and more on celebrating.

Organizing on the Cheap Recap

Have you ever been frustrated by all the creative organization ideas you see in magazines and on blogs, only to realize that you simply can’t afford (or don’t want to spend the money) all those gorgeous bins, boxes, baskets and other containers? Me, too! I’ve learned to organize my home (uh, to a certain extent) without spending an arm and a leg, and I have a whole week’s worth of money-saving organizing tips that you will love!

 

Plus, I have a great list of other ideas from bloggers around the internet who also have a passion for organizing with repurposed and recycled items. You will not lack for inspiration!

I’m not the only one with great organizing ideas - far from it! Click on the image below to read posts by more than 20 other bloggers who also shared 5 days of organizing tips. You’ll find ideas for organizing naturally, for cleansing your mind and body, for organizing schoolrooms, offices, kitchens, linen closets and more.

Sharing at Fellowship Friday, Frugal Friday, Homestead Barn Hop, Better Mom Mondays, Titus 2sday, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Women Living Well Wednesday, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, The Mommy Club, Simple Lives Thursday, Your Green Resource,

Even More Cheap Organizing Suggestions {Organizing on the Cheap}

I’m so happy you are here with us this week for 5 Days of Organizing - more than 20 bloggers will be bringing you daily inspiration for organizing every aspect of your life. And with back-to-school days breathing down our necks, we all need it!

Have you ever been frustrated by all the creative organization ideas you see in magazines and on blogs, only to realize that you simply can’t afford (or don’t want to spend the money) all those gorgeous bins, boxes, baskets and other containers? Me, too! I’ve learned to organize my home (uh, to a certain extent) without spending an arm and a leg, and I’ll be sharing my tricks with you all week long. Stick with me for great cheap organizing ideas!

 

 

Today’s your last chance to enter the giveaways! You can enter the cash giveaway right here on this blog post - just scroll down to the bottom - and if you click on the footer image, you will be directed to a page with a whole bunch of other giveaways.

I am not the only crazy person who organizes her home with other people’s cast-offs, recyclables, and cardboard boxes (Hey! Sometimes I get new stuff at the Dollar Store!). A quick browse through Pinterest reveals that many other people prefer to re-use, recycle and repurpose when it comes to organizing their homes.

Proof? Here ya go:

Take an old cylindrical wipes container and use it to store and dispense plastic bags. Keep one in the car, one under the kitchen sink, one in the diaper bag, and one in the beach bag!

This blogger used containers from IKEA to store kids' games and card games. I like IKEA and all - hey, it's cheap! - but I happened to have a surplus of empty wipes containers (the box kind this time) that served exactly the same purpose! Now the Toy Story 3 Memory game is neatly contained. Awesome.

So simple, so quick, so CUTE! I love this idea from Martha Stewart. Now I just have to find some of those adorable little tins somewhere.

I need to remember this idea from My Repurposed Life the next time I'm staring at a shutter in an antique or thrift store and wondering, "Now what was that really cool project I was going to do?"

This is one of those head-smackers. You know, the kind where you smack your head and say, "Now why didn't I think of that?!" Repurpose old TicTac boxes into bobby pin holders (perfect for your purse!).

Use a toilet paper tube to corral cords. Brilliant!

From oven rack to jewelry organizer. That's just about the coolest thing ever. From Just Sew Sassy.

Do you have an organizational idea for repurposed items? Do share!

Visit these blogs for lots more ideas on organizing your kitchen, your office, or your homeschool room!

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How to Organize for Less at the Dollar Store {Organizing on the Cheap}

I’m so happy you are here with us this week for 5 Days of Organizing - more than 20 bloggers will be bringing you daily inspiration for organizing every aspect of your life. And with back-to-school days breathing down our necks, we all need it!

Have you ever been frustrated by all the creative organization ideas you see in magazines and on blogs, only to realize that you simply can’t afford (or don’t want to spend the money) all those gorgeous bins, boxes, baskets and other containers? Me, too! I’ve learned to organize my home (uh, to a certain extent) without spending an arm and a leg, and I’ll be sharing my tricks with you all week long. Stick with me for great cheap organizing ideas!

 

Scroll down to the bottom to enter the cash giveaway; and when you’re done, click on the footer image to see other posts by other bloggers in this series PLUS lots more giveaways (including a copy of Your Grocery Budget Toolbox!).

The Dollar Store (we have Dollar Trees around here) is the cheap homemaker’s best friend. Granted, not everything there is even worth one dollar. And granted, they don’t have a lot in the way of “natural”. But you certainly can’t beat their price when it comes to organizational products!

I’ve mentioned already that I love to look at yard sales for my organizational tools, and I also love to reuse and repurpose items that come through my house, like the empty jars I wrote about yesterday. But if I ever want a matching set of containers, the Dollar Tree is where I go. Unlike at other fancier stores (The Container Store comes to mind), I can buy as many of an item as I need to have a coordinating set without going over budget.

For example, in my linen closet, I have toiletries and over the counter meds organized in matching white boxes:

It’s not gorgeous, but… it’s hidden away in the closet, so I wasn’t particularly going for the gorgeous look. Practical is more my style when it comes to closet storage!

Also, in my kitchen cupboards, I have my small food storage containers and lids all neatly contained in Dollar Tree plastic boxes. I also have similar baskets in a different cupboard that contain toddler utensils and the like.

I’m sure I could show you lots of other examples from my own home, but for now, I’m going to give you a little tour of a Dollar Tree near me, where you can see for yourself the selection of organization tools they have. All for a dollar!

Organizational Products Available at the Dollar Store

On the left side of this picture you see a display of a variety of under-the-bed storage bags. I will remind you that you get what you pay for: these are not super sturdy, folks! However, if you are careful and don’t over-stuff them, and then leave them where they are without going into and out of them a lot, they’ll last you for quite a while. I use a couple of these to store baby onesies, bibs and such underneath the crib.

In the middle, you see the dollar store version of a canvas bin - cute, no? I love the colors on it! The Dollar Tree has a whole collection of those right now, which you can see in the display on the right. I have similar boxes (I think I bought mine on clearance at Target) that I use to store stuffed animals and other toys in The Boys’ room. The fabric has gotten a little pilled in the past couple years, but other than that, they’ve held up very well. These types of boxes fit very nicely in deep shelves on entertainment centers, coffee tables, and home office units to store a huge variety of items.

I’ve personally moved away from using baskets as storage, mostly because the little people in my house tend to destroy them in, oh, about 5 nano-seconds. I find the little pieces of reed or wood or whatever all over the house. But if you don’t have destructive little ones, or if you have some nice up-high but still visible storage areas, OR if you have angelic children who never mess with your stuff… you will find baskets to fit your needs at the dollar store. Wow, can you believe all the possibilities in these pictures? All kinds of boxes and bins in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes to suit your needs. These containers have applications all around the house: in closets, in the laundry room, in bedrooms, in drawers, in cupboards, on shelves, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, etc. Anything you need to contain can be contained in one of these, I’m pretty sure. Unless you’re trying to contain a wild animal (or small child), and well, that ain’t gonna cut it. Ice cube trays and vases for storage? Why not? They are containers, are they not? Ice cube trays can fit easily inside a drawer in a desk to contain all those annoying little things like push pins and paper clips. And vases or glass containers like these can be used on a bathroom or kitchen counter to hold utensils, cotton balls, toothbrushes, scrub brushes, or whatever!

Have you ever organized your home at the Dollar Store?

Visit these blogs for lots more ideas on organizing your kitchen, your office, or your homeschool room!

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Sharing at Women Living Well Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Raising Homemakers, Simple Lives Thursday, The Mommy Club, Your Green Resource

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