Anna’s Budget Tips-Budget Friendly Gardening

The much anticipated arrival of Spring means it’s a great time to get some seeds in the ground and watch them grow into flowers, veggies, berries, herbs and more! Growing your own produce may seem like an ideal way to cut back on food costs, but it doesn’t always turn out that way.

You imagine strolling through rows of lush plants, laden with ripe red tomatoes, plump strawberries and lovely squash…without having to spend a penny! But a costly trip to the garden centre for tools, seeds, plants, soil, pots and compost, followed by a few weeks of weeding only to find that some things never grew and others were devoured by bugs, birds, rabbits or other critters can cause some serious frustration.

garden

So, what to do? How can you increase the chances for a satisfying experience where you reap the rewards (both financial and emotional!) of your garden, and decrease the chances of it becoming a money pit? Get started with these budget friendly gardening tips: [Read more...]

Anna’s Budget Tips-Beautiful on a Budget

It’s only natural to want to look and feel your best. Beauty products and treatments tempt all of us at one time or another from the pages of magazines, websites, stores, salons and friends’ recommendations…and all too often come with seriously high price tags. Here are a few tips for cutting costs when it comes to your appearance so you can stay beautiful on a budget.

budget beauty tips [Read more...]

Anna’s Budget Tips-Spring Break on a Budget

School-aged children around the country are eagerly anticipating the long awaited Spring Break or Spring Vacation. Most districts put school on pause for a week or even two some time in March or April giving students (and their teachers!) some much needed R&R. This time of year can also be a cause for concern among families on a budget – you know…those of us who can’t hop on a jet bound for the Maldives for a week of fun in the sun!

But don’t worry! It is entirely possible to create a fun-filled vacation without breaking the bank. Here are some tips and tricks to help, whether your plans involve being home with the little ones, some low cost travel or mom and dad working over the break.

tips for enjoying spring break on a budget [Read more...]

Five Tips for Demystifying the Dreaded Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning. The two dreaded words that make everyone want to run the other way. Stop. It doesn’t have to be a scary time. In fact, spring cleaning can be a great way to stop the madness and get organized. The hardest part is getting started. Once you’ve started you’ll find that not only does it get easier, but once you’ve done the initial organizing it will only take 10-15 minutes per day to keep it organized.

five tips spring cleaning

Here are some of my favourite tips on how to get started:

Formulate a Plan and Set Reasonable Goals

Decide which areas of your home need to be cleaned and allocate time to get it done. Allow time for distractions, so you won’t get discouraged if the job doesn’t get finished as quickly as you hoped. Make sure your intentions are reasonable plan of attack that has at least a 98% chance of being accomplished! [Read more...]

Getting Value for Insurance Coverage

Most of us consider insurance a notion similar to taxes – we pay a lot of money, yet see little return for that money. Some forms of insurance such as life insurance are optional, though it’s risky for us to live without a plan. On the other hand, auto insurance is a requirement for us to legally drive on the roads.

family feeding birds on beachHowever, our personal situations are unique and finding the right insurance coverage is often more difficult and more expensive than is necessary. Insurance agents are more concerned with commissions and making quotas than helping Canadian families obtain affordable coverage. Fortunately, the internet has made the process easier and websites such as LowestRates.ca can help us find the most affordable insurance quotes in a matter of minutes. [Read more...]

Anna’s Budget Tips-Low Cost Cleaning

I am a sucker for fancy cleaning products. I am easily drawn in by pretty packaging, intriguing scents, and claims such as “all natural,” “eco-friendly” and “non-toxic.” Of course it’s not necessary to drop big bucks just to get your home sparkling clean. In fact, some of the most natural and environmentally friendly products are also the least expensive. Here are a few tips to keep your cleaning costs way down:

cleaning suppliesMake Your Own Cleaning Products

To make your own All Purpose Spray, mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. If you’d rather not have the strong vinegar smell try adding a few drops of essential oil. You can find essential oils at most health food stores – choose peppermint, orange, tea tree, or lavender. Use this spray to clean just about anything including counter tops, sinks, kids’ toys, and windows.

Need a little extra scrubbing power to accompany your elbow grease? Make a gentle scrub out of baking soda mixed with a little water and use to clean soap residue and hard water stains, polish metal fixtures and clean stubborn messes on counter tops. As an added bonus, baking soda also deodorizes while it cleans.

Clean a cast iron pan with kosher salt and a non-abrasive sponge. The salt will clean off food residue without removing the pan’s prized seasoning.

Kosher salt can also report for cleaning duty for your wooden cutting boards. Rub the salt over the boards with a cut lemon and then rinse off the lemon juice/salt mixture. The acidity of the lemon juice will disinfect and the abrasive salt rub will get the surface nice and clean. [Read more...]

To Avocado, With Love! Two Tasty Recipes that Will Win Your Heart

I’m a late adopter of the avocado, but now that I have welcomed it into my life, I can’t get enough! What makes the avocado rank so high in my books? It’s tasty, good for you, makes you feel full and it’s an amazing portable baby and toddler food.

avocadosThere are so many health benefits to eating avocados. I’m not a nutritionist or scientist, so you can read this article if you’d like a more in-depth description of what this amazing fruit can do for you but here are the basics. Avocados are full of fibre which helps to keep your “plumbing” running smoothly and keep you feeling full longer. They are also a source of lutein, a carotenoid, which is good for your eyes. I’m sure you’ve heard that taking a Folic Acid (or folate) supplement is a must when you’re pregnant or trying to conceive. Well move over horse pills, avocado has you covered by containing about a quarter of your recommended daily intake of folate. But wait a minute, aren’t avocados high in fat? Yes, they are, but it is good fat – the monounsaturated kind. This kind of fat helps to lower your LDL cholesterol levels (the bad cholesterol) and increase your HDL levels (the good cholesterol). [Read more...]

Seven Healthy Ways to Satisfy Your Child’s Sweet Tooth

fruit bowlNo matter what good habits we try to teach our kids, they have a natural fondness for sweet foods. That doesn’t mean they’re destined to spend their lives eating cupcakes and junk cereal but teaching them about healthy choices doesn’t automatically override their preference for sweets.

Most moms weren’t surprised when the world’s largest member-based food & drink research center, CCFRA, studied children age 8-10 to see if knowing about healthy food made them more inclined to eat it. When told to pick healthy foods from a lineup, they did just fine. But when told to pick whatever they liked and that no one was watching them, their choices changed dramatically.

So knowing that it’s hard for kids to make good choices no matter how well they’ve been taught, how can we keep them on the right track? Here are seven ways: [Read more...]