Home Depot Garden Club: Coupons - Save + More

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If you have not joined The Home Depot Garden Club yet, you are missing out. Once you sign up you will receive great discounts on many different items. The coupons will be sent directly to your inbox.

You have your own individual account, a social net working out that lets you communicate with other people across the country and you also are connected to a Home Depot expert to answer any of you gardening questions.

BUY ONE TREE, GET ONE FREE
$4 OFF ANY QUART CONCENTRATE OR READY-TO-SPRAY CONCENTRATE WEED-B-GON

Save Your Money, Save Your Family at Amazon

Stretching Every Dollar

Buys food on sale and in bulk. When she gets home she divides it up into healthy portions and freezes it, so it's ready to cook when she gets home from work.

When she cooks a dish, she doubles or even triples the recipe. Then, she'll divide the leftovers to use as lunches and she'll freeze some leftovers for later dinners.

Soup is one of the healthiest and cheapest meals. We made a delicious vegetable beef soup that costs only fifty cents a serving. Stir-fry and casseroles are other dishes that stretch a buck.

Frozen, Not Fresh

Feel free to use lots of frozen vegetables in your cooking. They're full of nutrients and are inexpensive. You may be surprised to learn that frozen produce is just as healthy as fresh, sometimes even more. Says, Toni House Author of Save Your Money, Save Your Family

Frozen produce is picked when it's ripe and nutrients are at their peak, while fresh food is often picked before it's ripe, causing it to lose more nutrients when exposed to light, heat and air.

Although frozen produce is a good buy, you can still find deals on fresh produce too. Make sure you chop your fruits and veggies yourself, because the pre-cut ones are expensive. And even when you buy whole fruits and vegetables, bagged are cheaper than loose.

Low Cost Exercise

When it comes to exercise, shop around for low-cost gym memberships. The YMCA has discounted memberships through its Open Doors program.

"It's really important for me, from our perspective, that they're treated like everyone else," said Dean Mattix, director of the Ablemarle, N.C., YMCA. "I was a recipient of the program and it's just the right thing to do. We just want to make the Y available to as many people as possible."

Mary Jones lost 40 pounds after joining the YMCA through its Open Doors program. She pays just $5 a month and considers the YMCA her sanctuary.

"Since it's such a Christian-based atmosphere here, it's so easy just to come," she said. "I don't have to be intimidated by cutesy girls or buff guys and all the language. I can come and feel comfortable."

Jones credits her success to the encouraging YMCA staff members, particularly her fitness coach Rick who designed an exercise and weight-lifting program that was custom-made for her-- a service that is complimentary with a YMCA membership.

She also credits the "Y Change" support group, where she and a handful of other members meet regularly to learn about nutrition and exercise as a group.

In addition to the YMCA, there are other fitness facilities that offer low cost or free memberships. Check with your local government about recreation centers or senior centers or exercise classes such as dance or swimming lessons.

Back to Basics

Don't forget about walking-- it's all the exercise you need.

"You have to make it fun. Listen to music you like," said Penny Price, a woman who lost 50 pounds by walking.

"Walk with a friend. That way if you don't feel like walking, your friend will encourage you to go, and vice-versa," she added.

As a nurse, Price counsels her patients about starting off slowly and working up to 10,000 steps a day. She recommends buying a $5 pedometer to keep track of how many steps you take each day. She also recommends buying a reflective vest to wear when it's dark outside or when you're walking on the side of a road.

If you want to walk, but have issues with safety or weather, walk at your nearest shopping mall. Most malls open their doors before the stores do.

Some shopping centers, like the Greenbriar Mall in Chesapeake, Va., even have a "Mall Walkers" organization that fosters friendships.

The group "Stroller Striders" uses the mall during inclement weather. Moms with their babies in strollers not only walk together, they even stop occasionally to do strength training exercises.

"It's a great place for me to meet my friends, said Rachel McHale of the Chesapeake Stroller Striders. "We can come together, be social, we have the space we need and we set a good example of exercising for our kids."

So whether you're eating or exercising, if you use your head you can live a healthy life without breaking the bank.

Save Your Money, Save Your Family

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HI everyone,

It has been a few days since my last post, I am in the final stages of editing my first book.

The book cover has been designed, My Publishing Company NorLightsPress.com, they are working diligently to finish the copy editing. Once the editing is done then off to the printing press. I can hardly wait. This book comes to you from the deepest part of my heart.

My name is Toni House I was born and raised in the Southern United States, transferd to and continue to live in Northern Arizona for more than 22 years.

With the weather, the beauty and the people of Northern Arizona there is no place better.
But, to my story.

As a child my family and I lived (well as society dictates in poverty)and at a time in my childhood we were homeless, but with Gods help we always seemed to manage.

I learned very early in life to work hard, pay your way, love God, love your family ( no matter how much you hated them at moments) help and love your neighbor.

As I grew up I realized more and more that we were not like most of our classmates, we did not have many of the nicer things they had, but we did have love and happiness they did not seem to have.

I learned to not throw things away, that you always took care of what you had and you took care of others belongings better than you took care of your own.

I learned what gardening and what eating healthy was about, it was not just about food grown in your own garden, but about the process of growing your own vegetables, the tilling the dirt, mixing compost (they we made ourselves from potato peelings, weeds, tree branches etc) in the dirt. Making rows for each vegetable being planted.

The planting, praying it would rain at the right time so we would not have to water it by hand, to harvesting the vegetables to freezing and canning it to eat the rest of the year.

I learned alot about life in those very meek days. I was the oldest of 6 kids, the 3 of us and my step dad with 3, and with both parents working I become parent number 3.

It was my responsibility at the age of 10 to make breakfast(mostly oatmeal, pancakes and sometime eggs if we had them)to get everyone dressed and to the school bus, and I did everything else that a normal household has to do.

Fast forward to college, I was the first in my family to go to college, by way of working and paying for it myself(as so many of us have and continue to do)
to being successful in my own businesses and helping many others to become successful.

Until 2007 when our world changed, we all are suffering, we all are fearful, we all are worried about today, tomorrow and our future, the future of our country but mostly the future of our children.

So is the reason for me writing my book Save Your Money, Save Your Family
it truly does come from the deepest part of my heart, It goes back to my beginnings to love each other and to appreciate what you have.

Look for it in bookstores soon. Save Your Money,Save Your Family

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Saving Your Family Money On Gas

The Average American drives approximately 12,500 miles per year, the average vehicle on the road even today gets only approximately 17 miles per gallon. The Average price per gallon is approximately as of today $2.74 per gallon.

So just do the math. The average person spends approximately $2,014.69 on fuel costs per year. WOW!!!

So what if the average American driver cut just 12 % out by car pooling, scheduling trips, walking, biking, taking the bus. That is only 1500 miles per year or only 125 miles per month or 4.16 miles per day. It would save the average American approximately $ 241.77 in fuel costs alone. Not to mention another oil change, more tire wear, more engine wear, insurance.

What if the average American cut out 20% of their miles driven. That would mean 2500 miles per year saved, 208.33 miles per month and 6.9 miles per day. Which would mean a savings of $403.88 per year in fuel costs alone. Not to mention tire, oil change, insurance and maintenance on your vehicle.

And the granddaddy of all savings besides your hard earned green stuff. THE ENVIRONMENT.

Look for my book Save Your Money Save Your Family in book stores Spring 2010
www.saveyourmoneysaveyourfamily.com

Saving Your Family Money During the winter Months

There are several ways to Save Your Family Money.

During the winter months we want to crank up the heat. But when we do the dollars and I mean dollars fly out the door.

First spend some time and very little of the green stuff on winterizing your home.
Fix that drippy faucet.

Stop the air leaks around windows and doors.

Drop the temp. from 150 degrees to 120 degrees on your hot water heater could save your family as much as 12 % per year in heating costs.

Teach jr. to turn off lights and electronics when a room or electronic gadget is not being used.

Insulate your attic and walls.

Turn off your sprinkler system. It amazes me how many people forget to turn off their automatic sprinkler system during the winter. In many places in the country it will freeze. Then is must thaw out. And what an expensive wet mess to clean up and repair.

Disconnect your water hoses from the outside faucets. Drain the water out of the hose, coil up the hose and stow it inside the garage or someplace out of the weather.

Wrap the outside faucets with some type of insulation to keep it from freezing.

I personally us plastic bags, newspaper, dry old towels and duct tape, wrap it tight so no air can get in.

Take the time to do it now. Or you can deal with the mess later.