Geocaching

 Geocaching- is a wonderful hobby my husband and i picked up when we moved to a smaller town! I couldn't even tell you how we heard about it but we sure do love it! Geocaching is a online/ gps scavenger hunt you use a gps device and go to the website geocaching.com get some coordinates for a cache and follow your gps to the location! You then have to use your skills to be stealthy and find the treasure! The sizes vary from very small to as big a 5 gallon bucket. There is always a log inside that you sign to show that you found the cache, and the larger ones have what us geocachers call swag- which consists of different trinkets and small toys, there are even trackable coins you can purchase from the geocaching website that you can place in one, then others will log the coin so you can see where all it goes. Geocaching has been a fun activity for us- it gets us out of the house, gets us exercising, and takes us places in not only our community but others that we didnt even know were there! Geocaching is a worldwide thing! So go check it out! This blog will now include our geocaching kit that we take on our adventures!

 This is the bag we use- its just an old backpack i had but you could find something similar at an army surplus store. this bag is a side shoulder bag and has tons of pockets

 here is our swag- we have plastic pirates, plastic dinos, plastic coins, keychains, and some McDonald type toys.

 A small flashlight- to help look in dark hiding places for the cache!

 Sunscreen- very necessary during the summer!

 Pens&Pencils- to sign the logbooks, i always have a few in case one decides it doesnt wanna work.

 dog waste bags- we sometimes bring casper along with us so we have these just in case she needs to do her business.

 tweezers- many uses but mainly to get logs out of the tiny geocaches! *that's how tiny some are* But you could also use it to remove a splinter, tick or whatever else you may get into!

 tissues & mints- tissues for allergies, or injuries and mints just in case you need fresh breath or have a tummy ache!

This keychain is something we found in a geocache- i love it because it matches our bag perfectly! So it hangs on our bag

 

Gps or phone- WE dont have a fancy GPs or anything- we may invest someday, but for now we use my smart phone i have a samsung galaxy *s3?* I downloaded the geocaching ap it was around $10 but was a great investment! There is a free version but i dont like it as well, the $10 app lets you find caches nearby, view the hints, description, and even lets you log your finds.

 

Bug spray a must for sure- geocaching often takes you into wooded areas and during the summer/spring months bugs are terrible!

 

lotion, Hand sanitizer and some first aid supplies. You never know when you will need anti itch cream, a bandaid or tyenol! And lotion and hand sanitizer just in case!

Optional items-

We often wear jeans, old shirts,and old shoes preferably tennis shoes or hiking boots. 

Beware of ticks, poision ivy and muggles! Muggles are people who do not know what geocaching is when geocaching be sure to be kinda sneaky and not to draw attention to yourself, which can sometimes be hard! We're thinking about creating a sort of business card that explains so we can give them to people who question what were doing!

We recently we hid our first geocahe- our 2 nieces and 1 nephew from california helped hide it! They were here visiting and we introduced them to geocaching while they were here! Were excited to have people enjoy a cache we created!

Happy Geocaching!

Pinterest Flop or Not Part-1

 Pinterest Success!
Today is just a recipe! We all have Pinterest these days- men, women, teens ...etc And we all pin away but never revisit and try out things! Lately i have been trying out alot of projects and recipes! This is a simple crock pot one- props to the blog and places i have seen this recipe- i have changed it a bit to our liking!

Ingredients-

(2 or 3) Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 (10.5 oz) Cans cream of chicken soup
Some onion and garlic add as much or little 
A little water (i always add a little water or extra stuff to make sure it doesn't dry out in the cooking process)

Put the soup water, and onion and garlic in and stir around then add chicken breasts. Let it hang out in the slow cooker on low all day (i occasionally check all slow cooker recipes just to make sure the liquid isn't cooking off to much). About 30-45 mins before you're ready to eat take the chicken out and shred it up (it should be really tender) then place it back into the crock pot, now you can either use canned biscuits and place on top and re-place the lid and let it cook, or i use bisquick and follow the recipe on the box for dumplings, and place them on top and again replace the lid and let  it cook. Let it cook up for a while then serve with some mashed potatoes or just a veggie!

Enjoy =)

My mom makes this but more homemade- this is a nice quicker version! Hope you enjoy!

Up-cycling-Picture Frames!

Hello- Long time no post! So sorry it's been a while everyone!!

 Today I'm going to talk about an up-cycling! Which i love to do- this project just came to me i love old buttons and random junk- and also love picture frames of all shapes and sizes! So i bought a bunch of cheap thrift store frames mostly small and also bought some bags of buttons from there as well! I just hot glued the buttons and other random things i had old charms from charm bracelets, fake pearl beads etc. I have seen many other ideas on Pinterest for other picture frame projects i will upload directions and photos!

Easy ways to save money!

I LOVE saving money- Its hard for me to buy anything full price anymore- here are some simple tips and tricks to help get you started in saving money!

Couponing and Price Matching-
These are simple ways to save immediately! Start out slow, read my other blog entries and do other online research to help start your coupon and price matching journey! It doesn't have to be as extreme as you see on tv you can save $5 a shopping trip and still be SAVING!

Cutting down-
Try simple things like not ordering a soda or cocktail when going out- that will save you tons of money! Also try to get coupons for your favorite restaurants in you're local newspaper, online or even in flyers! Many big chain restaurants offer free appetizers deserts just for signing up, and will then send you more coupons randomly and sometimes better high dollar ones on your birthday or anniversary. 

Loyatly Cards-
Loyalty cards are an amazing free money saver! Many big box retailers offer FREE loyalty cards that offer coupons and discounts on merchandise in store and online. Even some restaurants have them where you gain reward points to get free appetizers or meals! Many grocery stores offer them as well giving customers the chance to double coupons or save money on in store specials! And some big box retailers have credit or debit cards that offer a variety of rewards! So just ask when you take your next trip to your favorite stores!

Other ideas-
A newer thing Ive started doing is a lot of DIY  projects including cleaning supplies like laundry soap, shower cleaner, kitchen cleaner and garbage disposal freshener. ( I'll do a blog on these later)

Another easy way to save money is to stop buying plastic water bottles! They may be fairly cheap and convenient but in the long run you're spending a ton and hurting the environment! So i bought 4 reusable water bottles (we also have camel back bottles) and we use a Brita pitcher and i just also have a 4 bottle stock of cold water waiting to go! And to help cut down on our soda intake during our lifestyle change i keep Chrystal light and other brand drink packets to add to these bottles of water, also iced tea in a large pitcher ready in the fridge. The bottles ran me about $2-$3 each and the Brita pitchers usually range from $20-$30 bucks depending on what model you get and the filters which last 3-6 months or so many gallons and usually cost $6-$8 each. So in the long run its fairly inexpensive!

Once again thanks for reading- Enjoy!

Clarissa

Stockpile & Coupnoning Part 1

One of my favorite things in the world besides my loved ones---is saving money!
So today I'm going to talk about how Ive gotten my stockpile, the benefits of having one and how to organize and prepare a shopping trip to start building your own stockpile!

My stockpile!


I started my stockpile a little over a year ago, i was working at target and really getting into price matching and couponing and understanding how amazing it is to save money. I started small just saving money on things we were out of around the house, paper products, hygiene products, food and cleaning supplies. After i got the feel of everything i started couponing and pricematching on a stockpile level saving upwards of $500 in a single shopping trip.

My method of saving money may not work for you or make sense to you--find a way that works for you- it doesn't have to be a full time job, or take up all your free time- for me its about an hour or two per week and maybe more if I'm making a bigger trip! And different stores vary they all have different policies so be sure to check your local store for more details.

Target----
At target saving money was easy for me- i was there 35 hours a week working and did a majority of my grocery and other household shopping there. With a 10% employee discount and 5% using the red card i was already saving without any work- to save even more i started going to the target website and printing the web coupons (you can also subscribe on your cell phone for coupons from target). Then i figured out the holy grail of saving money combining coupons at target you can combine target coupons and manufacture coupons for tons of savings!(you can find manufacture coupons in the Sunday paper and online) Example for paper towels there may be a coupon for them in your Sunday paper for 50 cents off, and target one (for the identical product) for $1.00 off which gives you  a savings of $1.50! Any money you save is money in your pocket! For price matching at target is a bit more difficult but lucky for you i was guest service the 4 years i worked there so i know all the details! For price matching it has to be identical products in a valid ad for a competitor in the area. They will not price match BOGO specials, misprints, clearance, early bird specials, gift card deals, loyalty card deals, in store coupon deals, or special daily deals like black Friday or other major sale days.And you must have the ad with you for the price match! Any more questions message me and ask me- look at the policy online or go into your local store and im sure they will be more than happy to help!

Walmart----
At walmart there price matching is super easy (at least at my local store) You don't have to have the ad with you, and it is done right at the register- just tell them your price and they will change it! I go thru my local competitors ad's and circle the items that are good deals, besides this blog i have a couponing and price matching page for my area where i post deals of the week! Anywho  after i go thru and circle all my deals i go online and look for coupons that match up for even more savings. I write down my deals and my grocery list and try hard to keep it all separate in my cart while shopping. I get to the register and tell them all the deals and impress the people around me!

photos--

So to wrap up this part of my blog any money saved is money in your pocket! So save money and be happy everyone!


Stay tuned for more on this topic!!

Thanks for reading

Clarissa!

Couponing & Money Saving

Today at my local Wal-mart i price matched and coupon-ed and saved a total of $30.97!

I'll give you a break down of my purchase where i saved the most and where i got my information for my trip!

I purchased 10 smart ones frozen meals normally $1.98 each
I price matched them for $1.25 each and then had a $3.00 off 10 coupon
Making 10 frozen meals $9.50.

I bought 2 Hormel always tender pork tenderloins normally $6.48 each,
I priced matched them for $1.79 each, then had 2 $1.00 off coupons for each one
Making them 79 cents each!

Those were my 2 best deals other items included were 2 packages of slim fast shakes, 1 pkg frozen stuffed chicken breasts, 1 package butter, milk, Velveeta, diced and crushed tomatoes, chili seasoning packet, Comet brand cleaner, windshield washer fluid, 2 packages scotch cleaning wipes, sandwich baggies, and an adorable st patricks day bandana for my pooch to wear!

I spent $45.54 but saved a total of $30.97!
Today i feel like a super saver!
If you live in the atchison area like the couponing/ price matching page on facebook!
All my price matches were from local stores and are listed on that facebook page, and all coupons were collected from various websites including coupons.com and couponmom.com, and a few were obtained from allyou magazine

Thanks for reading!!
Clarissa