SpoonFullofJelly

Did you know that summer effects our wallets more that the rest of the year? Welcome to the second half of a two part series of how to save money over the 100 Days of Summer. 4.) Entertainment costs rather on vacation or right in your own town can really put a damper on your summer cash. There are plenty of free festivals around. Visit them on a full stomach and a backpack full of half frozen water, juice and snacks. Go will a preset purchase amount in cash and that should keep you on tack. If you are visiting attractions such as an amusement park that requires an entrance fee, check their website for free or discounted days. Traveling with a medium size family of 5 or 6? Go with another family because many discounts begin at 10 people. No matter if you drink Pepsi or Coca-Cola or not, local area attractions partner with them to offer discounts. Pour the coke down the sink if you have to, but save $20 on your next family event! 5.) Nothing says Summer like a cool and refreshi...

Welcome to the last installment of Money Mondays. We will break for the summer and return for the Autumn. Did you know that summer may effect our wallets more that the rest of the year? Read on for a two part series of how to save money over the 100 Days of Summer. 1.) Many people do not save throughout the winter for summer vacations, Small vacations such as a weekend trips to a new city may not break the bank, but a sudden trip to Disney World certainly can. Most families spend around $3000 for a family of four for a week to popular destinations such as Disney World, Chicago and New York. Planning ahead of time can save you lots of money. Waiting until off season to visit these locations will often save you a bundle on flights and hotels. Checkout  Lonely Planet  for a breakdown of every country, city and town throughout the world. It will also give you the best times to visit while taking in weather, Tourist crowds, and activities in consideration. 2.) Speaking of ...

I love blog surfing. I get to write down ideas of what I want to try to do and I learn so much! But something struck me yesterday and I can't stop thinking about. A blog I was visiting (can't give the name because I didn't ask permission) wrote "Children are the only blessings we tell God we had enough of!" Yikes!! That statement stung like a bee. I was frozen in my seat. My mind started to race and figure out what other blessings people might ask for in limited quantities. When a blessing of food, money, shelter, warmth, clothes etc come, no one ever says "Whats enough God." But with children so many people do. I remember asking my parents when I was younger why they didn't have more children and they said "We have a boy and a girl, what more is there?" Now that Mr. Mind and I are trying to start our family, people are constantly asking 'how many children do we want.' I usually say 'two, no more than three' and he says ...

If you haven't noticed lately, a variety of businesses are really pushing Americans to open their eyes to Home Gardening. You might ask why does this fall under Money Mondays. Well, you can save yourself a ton of money by growing your own fruit and veggies. Balcony Gardening is possible. I've did it for 2 years and you can see some of my failures and successes here on my blog. Check this video out:  Growing on the Balcony . It gives a brief explanation of how it is possible to grown fruits and veggies while living in an apartment, condo or townhouse. There are more videos that explain how to use a variety of containers. Limited outdoor space? Well so do I! Where I live in Minnesota, I will have about 4'x8' worth of gardening space. I will grow mint, thyme and basil indoors by open windows in pots. Outdoors, I will grow watermelon, carrots, cantelope, broccoli, summer squash, peas, garlic and 3 types of onions in the ground. I will also grow tomatoes, potat...

Hello Followers and Passerby Readers, Writing a post on From Maruki has been a great outlet to express my joys, concerns and mess I make for the past year. Sadly, I have not been able to write a post in the past month. Work consumed every piece of me and more. I barely slept 5 hours a night and worked over 10 hrs a day. Mind you, my job was a contract position with low pay, no growth opportunities and no bonuses. To my surprise, April 12, 2013 was a day of confirmation. I have been in this contract position for the past 4 years. I have renewed the contract yearly with hopes that new changes will come to the program, or that some advancement opportunities will open. I learned on that day that the answers to my prayers were 'no'! No matter how much patience I forced myself to have, which is a task all on its own, I can not change a company. No! advancement opportunities are slim, hard to come by, and was told by my manager "The company does not prefer to hire within becaus...