Do you ever open your refrigerator and just stare for minutes on end wondering what to make for dinner? I feel like I do these more times than not, especially when I haven’t gone grocery shopping. I do try to meal plan every week but sometimes I fail. This is why there are always a few pantry staples I keep on hand. Having these items on hand ensures I can whip up a quick meal, even when the fridge is looking a little bare.

20 Pantry Staples to Keep on Hand

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Most of the time I do have meat in the freezer, so I use these items in combination with meat. However, there have been plenty of times when I didn’t have meat on hand and was able to make a simple meal using pantry items.

1. Dried Lentils. You can really stretch a meal with dried lentils and they are so easy to make!

2. Pasta. I always keep several boxes of pasta on hand. Every time I go grocery shopping I pick up pasta.

3. Canned Foods. I’m a huge fan of canned vegetables, so I always have several cans on hand. It’s a quick and easy way to add to any meal.

4. Soup Broths. Having a variety of broths on hand are nice to have when making a quick soup or pan sauce.

5. Canned Tomatoes. I love having canned tomatoes on hand, you can do so much with them. Make spaghetti sauce, add it to ground beef and much more.

6. Rice. Having rice on hand is a great way to stretch any meal you make. You can add veggies to rice, meat or anything else that you’d like.

7. Bread Crumbs. These always come in handy when I’m breading meat.

8. Yeast. I have been known to make dinner rolls, sandwich bread and several other baked items. Lesson learned, keep yeast on hand!

9. Flour. If you do any cooking at all then you know how useful flour is. I use flour a lot when cooking. Umm, I love making a good pan sauce.

10. Jarred Sauces. While these aren’t my favorite, I do like to keep a few on hand for those super quick dinners.

11. Powdered Milk. Typically, we always have milk in the house but I have found that having powdered milk on hand comes in handing when baking.

12. Extra-virgin Olive Oil. You can make a great sauce with herb, seasoning and extra-virgin olive oil.

13. Dried Herbs. Herbs can take a boring meal up a notch. I always have dried herbs on hand!

14. A Variety of Seasonings. You can not have enough seasonings in my opinion. I like my food packed with flavor.

15. Canned Tuna. I usually have tuna for lunch but you can definitely make a dinner with a can of tuna.

16. Gravy Mixes. I prefer to make my own gravy and pan sauces but it doesn’t hurt to have a few packs of gravy mixes on hand.

17. Baking Soda. Again, baking soda comes in handy for baking.

18. Coffee. If you know me at all then you know that I LOVE my coffee! However, you can also use coffee for making a quick rub on a steak.

19. Applesauce. I like to keep applesauce on hand for the kids when they want a snack or I just want to add a little something extra to their dinner plate.

20. Tomato Paste. Just like canned tomatoes, tomato paste comes in handy more than you think!

If you enjoyed this post on pantry staples, make sure to check out some of my other posts. 

Meal Planning

How Meal Planning Saves You Time & Money

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Vacations. Those amazing trips that give you the chance to relax, revitalize, and rejuvenate. It is so much fun to plan vacations, from picking out where to go to where to stay. Until you start realizing how much your dream vacation is going to cost. As the numbers keep adding up, that relaxation you were supposed to be feeling can quickly turn into anxiety and stress. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to have the dream vacation you’ve always wanted, on a budget that won’t leave your bank account depleted.

How To Plan Your Dream Vacation On A Budget

Set a Budget

The first step in planning a dream vacation is setting a budget. This may seem a bit tedious, but will without a doubt be the most important part of your affordable vacation. By setting a budget, you’ll be able to set aside the right amount of money before the trip and know exactly what you’re allowed to spend throughout the entire vacation. This will also help you narrow down where you want to stay and what your food situation will look like. And, yes, it will seem like a drag as you work it out with your travel buddies, but when you get home after the vacation, your wallet will thank you.

Now that you have a budget, you should look at where you want to go. You might already have a location set in stone, but if don’t, consider places that aren’t as mainstream popular. For example, if you want to go to Florida for the beaches, Tampa or Clearwater are extremely popular. But, if you travel a bit further south, you’ll find little towns like Naples that are just as beautiful, but much less expensive.

Be Flexible

If you have flexibility with your travel dates, you can save quite a bit of money by traveling on the off-season. This is especially handy for popular summer destinations. Most traveling, especially for those with families, takes places during the summer. Because of this, ticket prices drop significantly during the off-seasons. You can take advantage of these discounts by planning to travel at a different time.

Alternative Accommodations

Another way to save big is to look into alternative accommodations. While hotels are convenient, they are also extremely expensive. There are several websites that offer alternative services for better prices. For example, on AirBnB, locals rent out their homes when they’re not in town. If you can find a rental near where you want to be, this is a great way to avoid high hotel costs. Renting out a home instead of a hotel is great for groups, too. Instead of everyone paying for individual hotel rooms, they can contribute to the rent cost, which will usually be much lower than hotel prices.

Now that you have a destination, a way to get there, and a place to stay, all you need to figure out is what you’ll do when you arrive. If you do extra research ahead of time, you might be able to find some real deals. There are hundreds of amazing apps and websites that can help you save money on activities. Sometimes, all you need to do is sign up for a service and you’ll receive discounts and coupons for things you might want to do on your vacation.

Resources:

Travel on a Shoestring Budget

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It’s that time of year, when football parties are in full swing. Whether you are planning a party for the playoff games or the big game, you’re probably already thinking about the costs.

Hosting a football party can be extremely expensive! The costs of drinks and food can really add up fast.

Hosting a football party doesn’t have to be expensive in fact, you can have a football party on a budget.

How to Host a Football Party on a Budget

BOYD – Let your guests know that your party will be BOYD (Bring Your Own Drink). You can of course offer water, soda or juice but any alcoholic beverages can be brought by the guests. Not serving alcohol can save you a ton of money! The costs of alcohol can quickly add up, not to mention you never know what type of beer your guests enjoy.

Pot Luck – When I think of football parties I think of lots of yummy appetizers. Thankfully, appetizers are more affordable than a full-course meal. However, if you’re offering several different appetizers then your costs will go up. In the past, I’ve asked each guest to bring an appetizer dish. Not only has this saved me money but it’s so much fun to try all the different dishes. You never know what someone might show up with!

Split the Costs – If you are set on serving alcohol and not asking your guests to bring a dish, then split the costs. Maybe you have a close friend or a neighbor that would be interested in hosting a joint football party. If so tag team the planning, cooking and costs.

Plan In Advance – The great thing about planning in advance is you can score some great deals on football-themed food! Watching for sales at your grocery store and pick up items as they are marked down. You might also want to consider using coupons to score some great deals! You should also keep a detailed list of what you’ll be serving and what items you need to purchase. This will help you stay on budget and make sure you’re not buying stuff you really don’t need.

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The Christmas season is by far my favorite time of year! There are so many fun activities to enjoy with your family during this time of year. Some activities might even turn into family traditions.

I have put together some of my families favorite activities. Hopefully, you’ll find something on this list that your family will love just as much!

 25 Days of Christmas Activities

This list is not in any particular order. Pick and choose which activities you think would work for your family.

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1. Elf on the Shelf – Yes, it’s that time of year again. Get your Elf on the Shelf out and enjoy entertaining the kids for the next 24 days. For creative Elf on the Shelf ideas check out my Pinterest board.

2. Attend a tree lighting – Most communities host a tree lighting and it really is an event that is fun for the whole family.

3. Volunteer in your community – The Christmas season is about more than just buying gifts. Donate your time by volunteering in your community. This is also a great way to teach your kids that there are always people less fortunate.

4. Watch Christmas movies – Christmas movies are so much fun to watch with the family! Break out your favorites and the traditional ones like Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas Story.

5. Cut down a Christmas tree – Yes, it’s easy to pull up to a lot and grab a tree but it’s so fun to cut down your own! Pack the family up, grab some hot chocolate and head out into the woods to cut down your own Christmas tree. This will be a tradition that your kids might even carry on with their own families.

6. Host a cookie decorating party – Do you bake Christmas cookies during the holiday season? If so turn this time into a decorating party! Last year I baked cookies on Friday and Saturday, then on Sunday I let my kids invite friends over to decorate the cookies. Everyone had a blast and I didn’t have to decorate 500 cookies by myself.

7. Donate to a family in need – Take your children to the Dollar Store and let your kids pick out toys for other children. Then take your children to a local shelter or a community agency and donate the toys.

8. Decorate a Gingerbread house – This is always a fun activity and usually one we do on a rainy day. Remember the gingerbread house doesn’t need to be perfect! Let the kids decorate it any way they would like.

9. Decorate stockings – I used to love the perfect stockings that hung on the fireplace mantel then one year we decorated stockings. We have now turned this activity into a family tradition. Pick up some $1 stockings, puff paint and Crayola paint. Let the kids decorate their stocking. It’s always fun to look back on stockings from previous years!

10. Play in the snow

11. Attend a Christmas play –  My daughter and I love to get dressed up and watch the Nutcracker. This is a family tradition I’ve carried on from when I was a young girl.

12. Go ice skating

13. Visit Santa – You are never too old to get your picture taken with Santa.

14. Make Christmas ornaments – Making your own Christmas ornaments is so much fun and really gives you a chance to get creative. Here are over 41 homemade Christmas ornament ideas.

15. Go Christmas caroling

16. Attend an ugly sweater party

17. Make Christmas gifts for family and friends – Homemade gifts are some of the best gifts! Spend some time looking at Pinterest for inspiration.

18. Decorate the house – It’s time to break out the Christmas lights, decorations and make your home feel like Santa’s workshop. Make sure you let the kids give you a helping hand.

19. Have a gift wrapping party – I don’t know about you, but I don’t really enjoy wrapping Christmas gifts. I’ve found that doing it with friends, good food and a warm drink always makes it better.

20. Take a tour of Christmas lights – There is always that one neighborhood that goes all out during the Christmas season. Take a walking or driving tour and enjoy the lights.

21. Read Christmas stories

22. Make a wreath

23. Write a letter to Santa

24. Host a Friendmas – This year Friendsgiving was huge! Why not host a Friendsmas and enjoy the holiday with the people you normally wouldn’t get to see on Christmas.

25. Attend Christmas Eve Mass

What activities does your family like to enjoy during the holiday season?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to check out some of my other popular posts!

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