Menu Planning – Just My Best Pick

I love cooking on a whim. Sometimes on the weekends, I like to find a new recipe, run to the store for the ingredients and prepare it that day. However this is not feasible  most of the time and I must have a dinner plan laid out. Dawn at Menu for the Week says, "The hardest part of dinner is not the cooking.  It starts with deciding what to have and figuring out what we [+]

Earning Extra Money for Christmas

I consider myself a very skeptical person. I think carefully about what my family is involved in as well as what I promote here on Just Doing My Best. Because of that, I have taken the time to research the following suggestions before promoting them to you. I have personally signed up with the following companies so I can accurately share with you the pros and cons of each. Long story short, the company's programs [+]

Smart Food Review and Giveaway

Recently, my family had the opportunity to try Frito Lay's new snack, Smart Food Popcorn Clusters. When I realized we would be sampling the Cranberry Almond, I had my doubts. Cranberries are not on my list of favorite snack foods, but I'm glad I gave it a shot. We all loved them, cranberries and all! One child said they reminded him of Captain Crunch cereal. Not bad, considering the popcorn clusters contain 20% of the [+]

Country Bob’s All-Purpose Sauce – Husband Approved

Just in time for grilling season, I would like to introduce you to my husband's favorite grilling ingredient, aside from the beef, of course. A while back, we tried a bottle of Country Bob's All-Purpose sauce and he immediately fell in love with it. While he is not a picky eater, it is rare for him to actually comment on a specific food or condiment. The All-Purpose Sauce is a cross between Heinz 57, A-1, [+]

Frugal Family Fun – Family Games

Now that my children are in their pre-teen years, games are becoming even more fun to play. I no longer strategically let the children win, but rather fight to win so I can maintain my mom credibility. If you have competitive sons or daughters, you know what I mean. Games are one of the most frugal activities for the family. We usually have several in our closets that could be dusted off or can sometimes [+]

Thanks Lands’ End

A few days ago I attended Blissdom '09. For those who may not be aware, Blissdom is a blogging conference sponsored by Blissfully Domestic and One2One Network. One of the many perks of attending the conference was the sponsor provided swag. Lands' End was overly generous in providing these great canvas totes. When I returned home, even my young daughter noticed the quality. In her words, "it will last forever because it's so heavy." Maybe not [+]