Swirly Ornaments

This might seem like a late timed post, but some people still have get togethers to attend and my main goal is to inspire you for next year. It is wise when you are on a tight budget to always think ahead. Christmas stuff goes on super clearance after the 25th and I usually buy my decorations then. I know it can be hard to give gifts to others when you are short on cash but I also know it's embarrassing to show up empty handed sometimes. So with that in mind I present you with a Christmas craft that is cheap on the wallet, easy to make, and beautiful. They are great to give and look pretty on your own tree as well.

Introducing Swirly Painted Ornaments!*



Ok so here is what you will need:

Glitter or Pearlescent paint (easily found at a craft store such as Micheals for $1-$2 per bottle and one bottle will make many ornaments)
Clear Glass Ornaments (again, easily found at craft stores, I would suggest picking some up now when they will be deeply discounted, but if you buy them at the beginning of the holiday season you will be paying around $5 for half a dozen)
Paper Towels

This is super simple, just remove the metal stopper (gently, they can break easily) and squeeze a tiny amount of paint (about the size of a nickle) into the ornament. Add another color. Fold up a sheet of paper towel and hold it over the opening and shake and swirl! You will get different patterns depending upon how you squeeze the paint into the ornament and how you shake it. You may need to add more paint to completely cover the inside of the ornament, but only add a little at a time as it is difficult to get the paint to dry if there is too much in there. Set the ornament out to dry with with opening facing up. The drying process may take several days and you may need to rotate the ornament every day or so so that paint doesn't pool in one spot and throw off the pattern. When completely dry, replace the stopper.

I gave away many of these this year for about 25 cents per piece, maybe a little less. People ooohhd and awwwddd over them.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday!

*For the record I did not take this picture. I got it via a google search. When I went to take a picture of the ones I had made, my camera was being fussy.

Bulk Shopping

If you have it in your budget to bulk shop, there are several instances where it can really come in handy. I make it a point to search the grocery ads for family pack meat deals, where the price can be significantly lower than if you were to buy individual meal sizes. Take hamburger. It is usually much cheaper to buy the five or ten pound family pack than the one pound meal packs but my family of three (well two and half since my little one is only 18 months!) certainly can't eat all that at one sitting! What I do is buy the large pack and divide it up at home. Buy yourself some cheap or on sale Ziplock style quart size freezer bags. A kitchen scale could come in handy for this but isn't required. If I buy a five pound package of burger meat, I open up five of the bags (much easier to open then in the begining than trying to do so with meaty hands, plus helps to keep the bacteria under controll) and then divide up the meat into five as close as possible even portions. Place one portion of meat into each bag and then wash your hands. Now try to flatten the meat inside the bags as much as possible and push out as much air as you can and seal up the bags. These little packages can then be stored flat in your freezer and take up hardly any space at all! For a meal, I just defrost one package in the fridge and I'm good to go. I do the same thing with chicken breasts, chicken thighs, pork chops, and steaks. I just put as many portions as my family needs, usually two-three breasts chops or steaks, in a bag and stack em in the freezer. This does take some time on shopping day but can save a bundle on the grocery bill. Is there anything special you do concerning bulk shopping?

SwagBucks!

A lot of people have heard of SwagBucks at this point, but if you haven't, it's a good way to get gift cards for stores such as Amazon.com. It's a little late for this year, but if you start now you could save up quite a bit in time for next years holiday season. SwagBucks is a search engine (and more) that works like Google. You can go to their website (click here) and sign up and just use them as a search engine instead of what you use now. You will randomly earn points (called Swag Bucks) and those points can be redemed for gift cards and other things. Currently you can get a $5 gift card for 450 points. Over the last year, I have earned about $100 worth of Amazon.com gift cards which I used this year to help buy Christman presents for my family. Again, like ChaCha, this isn't going to get you a tun of money but every little bit helps and all you have to do is search, which you probably would have done anyway. You can earn extra Swag Bucks in a number of ways such as refering your friends, turning in old cell phones, and taking surveys. One downfall I have found is they don't always have information that is as detailed as Google, so if you need to search for something really complex, I would use your normal search engine. Happy Holidays to all!

ChaCha!

Okay, we all know that with the economy in the shape that it is in, it's difficult to find a job sometimes. It can also be rough on a family with only one parent working because they can't afford daycare (so the other parent could have a job as well.) Enter in ChaCha! ChaCha is a cell phone service where people text in questions and live representatives answer them. For instance, someone might text in "What's the weather in New York?" A rep would then respond with the forecast. If you go to their website (click here) and scroll halfway down the page, on the left there should be a link where you can sign up to become a rep. All you need is a computer with a decently fast Internet connection and you need to download Mozilla Firefox (click here.) You will need to go through a little bit of training and you will need to pass an exam on the ChaCha site. I had no trouble passing. ChaCha Guides (your job title) make anywhere between 2 and 10 cents per question answered, which doesn't sound like much but it really adds up. I found that I could make roughly $5 an hour, more if they were running a special contest for guides, which they do a lot. So it isn't three figure job, it isn't even minimum wage, but it is something that you can do on your own time whenever you want to and make a little extra money, and we all know how much a little extra can mean when you have to choose between eating or paying the electric bill. To get paid, you can choose to have a debit card sent to you which you can reload with your earnings at any time, but it will deduct $2 from your account every time you do that, or you can choose to have them directly deposit your earnings into your bank account once a month. Anyway, it's something you can do at night after you put your kids to bed for a couple hours and make a little extra cash. When you sign up, you can enter my guide name (butterflymkm) and we will both get a kickback for it. In any case, happy earning!

Safelink Wireless

Safelink is a free cell phone program targeted at individuals who already receive some form of government aid. The idea behind this is that everyone, especially parents, deserve to have access to a phone. Also for someone seeking employment, it is crucial that they be able to provide a contact number. This program is currently available in 31 states and is quickly expanding. You can sign up through their website here. If you currently reside in one of the 31 participating states and receive some kind of government aid such as food stamps or medicaid, you already qualify. They may ask you to fax or mail in proof of income or proof that you are receiving government aid. I did not have to do this though. I just told them that I was receiving medicaid (which I am) and they sent me a phone. You will get to choose between three minute packages (at least in the state of Maryland you do). Two of the packages have rollover minutes, one does not but it allows for more free minutes per month. You will receive a package in the mail with a phone, charger, and instructions on how to obtain your free minutes every month. It is pretty simple. If you have ever had a prepaid cell phone, the process will look familiar. I should stress that you are getting a basic phone here and anywhere between 60 and 250 free minutes a month. An Iphone it ain't. But free is free and if you are struggling and without a means to communicate, this could be a lifesaver for you. The program is run by TracFone, one of the first prepaid cell phone providers. You can buy extra minutes if you want to or need to are retailers like Walmart and at many gas stations. Currently you can get 60 minutes for about 20 bucks, but sometimes stores run promotions and you may be able to get them cheaper. Click the link above if you want to find out more about the program.

Welcome

I am creating this blog because it was something that I was searching for and couldn't find. I wanted advice and tips on how to survive on very little or no income. I am not talking about your run of the mill "buy a coffee pot and quit going to Starbucks every day" kind of advice. People in the situations that I am referring to would simply laugh at that idea. This is for people who have more (necessary) bills than they have income, for people living on friends' couches and on the streets, this is for single parents with very little options.

I will offer examples of my trials and errors as I navigate my way out of the hole and also observations I have made of people in similar or worse situations. I hope that many more people will offer their insights and ideas.

I want to put the usual disclaimers here, I am NOT a doctor of any kind and I do NOT work for any kind of state department. No it isn't healthy to eat Ramen every day for every meal, but it's better than starving.

Please feel free to jump in at any time.