Search Results for: guest post

Achieving Your Perfect Smile

May 24, 2012 by Ashley 1 Comment

A big, beautiful smile makes every first impression memorable, and now everyone can achieve that perfect smile! Plenty of options are available to give individuals many choices for their correct smile enhancing method. The best smile can be found with the help of a little whitening, veneers, a dental implant, or dental bonding. Certain options are for certain dental situations, and each individual should choose the perfect match for their perfect smile!

Whitening

Whitening is perfect for a low budget, quick smile remedy. Teeth whitening can be done in one hour sessions at a dentist office or with a kit for self whitening. Many teeth whitening solutions are available in “do-it-yourself” kits, and a little research on the best brand names will benefit users before they purchase any products. Teeth whitening kits often come with whitening strips, toothpaste, or gel to be used twice a day. Great dentist offices who provide teeth whitening sessions can be found in Carmel Valley and Chula Vista, and Irresistible Smiles reviews for teeth whitening are extremely high.

Veneers

Veneers are thin shells made to fit an individual’s teeth. They cover the front of teeth to hide teeth discoloration, dental gaps, tooth chips, and crooked teeth. Dental technicians make the veneers based on a model of an individual’s teeth so the veneers fit perfectly over one’s mouth. The shell is placed directly on the teeth, and the process is permanent.

Dental Implants

Dental implants are artificial teeth used to replace a missing tooth due to an injury. They are more tooth-supportive than bridgework and do not rely on teeth around the missing tooth to keep them in place. Veneers can replace a single tooth, multiple teeth, or all teeth. They look and feel very realistic while preventing bone loss and gum recession. Veneers also have a very high success rate, and with the comfort of having all teeth, individuals can smile with confidence and comfort.

Dental bonding is used to repair decayed, chipped, or cracked teeth. It can also improve the color of stained teeth and change the overall shape of teeth. Dental bonding is an inexpensive dental procedure that can usually be done in a dentist office. No tooth coverings have to be manufactured with an imprint of an individual’s mouth, so the time taken in dental bonding is much faster. Dental bonding is not very resistant to stains though, so some foods and drinks may need to be avoided after dental bonding is set in place.

This is a guest post written by Amanda Green.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: beauty, Dentist, Smile

Why Beauty Vanishes When Debt Takes Over

May 17, 2012 by Ashley 2 Comments

There are a lot of headlines making the news about the impact debt and bad credit is
having on families and society as a whole. Desperate people are doing desperate things
to get money they need to satisfy their own financial problems. People are developing
more mental health issues and stress-related medical conditions due to the constant
worry over financial stability. If you are one who also loses sleep at night due to your
big pile of bills, it is time to start reversing your bad money habits so you can live a
wealthier and healthier future.

Reality of Debt
If you have ever had a bill collector ringing your phone twenty times a day or live with
the fear of having your car repossessed because you can’t pay your bills, you likely
understand the constant strain individuals live with daily. This stress can make it difficult
for you to even get out of bed in the morning or even go to sleep at night. Not only does
bad money management keep you from getting financially ahead, it places a great toll
on your physical health.

Stress can do a number on your body. Not only do you develop the dark, foreboding
circles under your eyes and may find yourself sick more often, you also are likely to
become anxious, eat poorly, and stop practicing your healthy habits. Stress over your
finances often leads to depression, especially when the money troubles have become
so bad, you don’t know where to turn.

Adding insult to injury, your credit score suffers greatly every time you miss a bill
payment or default entirely. This leads to your having to spend more just to get the
basic services you need in life like car insurance and utilities. You credit score is a very
important factor in your overall financial health and if it remains compromised by your
poor financial management, your overall physical and mental health will begin to suffer
as greatly.

Adding Salt to the Wound
When you live stressed out about your money issues, you will look and feel much older
than you are and that stress will begin to take a toll on your body. Your propensity
for being sick more often or developing more serious medical conditions is a reality
you’ll have to face. Stress causes your body to use a lot of its resources very fast. It’s
an innate reaction that dates back from the days when people needed to fight or run
in order to survive. The problem comes when stress turns your body into offensive/
defensive mode so often that it ends up wasting all available resources until you get
completely exhausted. And that is when aging and diseases can hit you the worst.

Medical treatment will start to add more debt to your growing pile and eventually you
may find yourself totally out of control with nowhere to turn. Once you have begun this
vicious cycle of debt and stress, your credit score will also fail you and make it next to
impossible to get the financial help you need.

The only way to stop the madness is to stop doing what you are doing. If you find your
current actions are making things worse, it is time to change your habits. Stop impulsive
spending and start budgeting every penny that comes into your household. As soon as
you see the effect of improving your personal finance habits, it will be much easier for
you to keep a cool head even when new problems hit you.

Financial Freedom Starts Here
Once you commit to turning things around, you need to start tracking every cent you
spend on a daily basis for a period of 30 days or more. You will need to always carry a
small notebook and pen wherever you go and account for all spending including your
morning coffee and newspaper. You have to be consistent and dedicated with this
tracking if you want accurate, reliable information to help you learn better money habits.

Tracking your spending is often an enlightening process as many people have no
real idea of how much their miscellaneous spending adds up to at the end of a month
or even a year. Small items are often overlooked but can be a real turning point in
reconstructing your finances if you stop buying and start saving.

After the 30 days of consistent expense tracking is over, go back and add up all your
expenses in different categories like gasoline, entertainment, food, and clothing to find
out how much of your money you are putting out there. Try splitting things into smaller
categories to figure out how every type of purchase affects your bunged. When the
totals are done, think about how much different your life would be if you saved $225 a
month rather than spending it on fast food and stuff you don’t need to survive.

It can be difficult to change your habits so start small, changing one bad money habit at
a time. This will help you incorporate better habits into your financial life and allow you
to clear up your existing debts. You can worry less and enjoy a healthier life without the
stress and strain ruining your life, your looks, your health, and your overall well-being.

This is a guest post written by Eliza Collins, a professional writer specialized in the
personal finance space. Eliza’s experience includes working for financial institutions,
private debt relief companies as well as years of balancing the family budget. You can
read more of her articles at the debt settlement blog.

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: beauty, Debt

Peace

March 6, 2012 by Ashley 3 Comments

Today I’m pleased to share with you a guest post from one of my very dear friends, Jessica. I trust this will be a blessing to you as it was to me.

Peace. What a lovely word. Take a deeeeeeep breath and just sit there for a moment and imagine what it would feel like to have complete and total peace…not to be in a rush…not to have regrets…to just sit there, and be…. and to be at rest, both physically, and deep in your soul.

I don’t know about you, but much to my shame, my life is not usually categorized by that word. This year, I decided to take a challenge given by Ashley on EmbracingBeauty.com, and come up with a theme word for 2012. My theme word is peace. While it’s still early on in my journey, I’d like to share a small portion of what God has been showing me.

I used to believe that if only I could get caught up on all the housework, and learn to play the piano, and organize all my pictures, and lose weight, and start extreme couponing , and memorize 1000 bible verses, and…and…and…(you fill in the rest of the blanks) and basically all life’s circumstances would cooperate with me and go the way they are SUPPOSED to, I would be at peace. Maybe you’ve thought the same thing. As I’m sure you’ve found out, life just doesn’t work that way. Unexpected company arrives, and always on that day that you’re way behind on housework and decided not to take off your pjs until noon. A slow moving utility truck pulls out in front of you, and of course it’s when you’re running really, really late. A neighbor’s dog gets in the trash and it ends up from one end of your yard to the other…and inevitably when it’s pouring the rain. So should we just forfeit the hope of peace altogether? How can a girl have peace when things don’t go her way?

There is a verse that flashes in my mind multiple times a day that answers this question very simply: Isaiah 26:3. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.”

Wow.

Not, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose house is sparkling clean.” Or “…whose children obey without whining.” or “…who’s got it all together.” No, instead the verse says God will keep me in perfect peace, if I keep my mind on Him because I trust in Him.

Too often I get caught up in worrying about things that won’t matter at all after today, let alone in eternity. I’ve discovered that if my perspective on life’s interruptions has God at the center, then company seeing a pile of dirty clothes or crumbs on the counter doesn’t really matter so much. Perspective makes all the difference.

Today, I challenge you to pay attention to your “peace level.” How do you react when things don’t go your way? Are you constantly uptight? Do your husband and children dread being around you after a long day? Do you believe that if you could just “get it together,” you’d be able to have peace? If so, remember that life will never be predictable. Never. So basing your peace on circumstances will end in a lot of unnecessary stress and frustration.

Instead of falling apart when the unexpected happens, look at those interruptions as from the Lord. Instead of focusing on the fact that you look terrible or your house is a mess when that unexpected company shows up, change your focus to what their needs might be. Maybe the Lord sent them to you today so you could encourage them or even witness to them. Use those extra minutes behind that slow truck to praise the Lord that you have a vehicle to drive and the ability to drive it, and maybe even say a prayer for the driver of the truck in front of you. Make a game of picking up the trash with your kids in the rain, then go puddle-jumping with them. Life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% what we make of it. Make a choice today to cast all of your cares on the Lord, “…for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7b).

This quote does a good job at summarizing what a woman of peace looks like:

“A woman of true beauty is a woman who in the depths of her soul is at rest, trusting God because she has come to know him to be worthy of her trust. She exudes a sense of calm, a sense of rest, and invites those around her to rest as well. She speaks comfort; she knows that we live a world at war, that we have a vicious enemy, and our journey is through a broken world. But she also knows that because of God all is well, that all will be well…In her presence, we can release the tension and pressure that so often grip our hearts…” from Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge

Lord, starting today, teach me to be this kind of woman.

Filed Under: Bible Study, True Beauty Tagged With: Bible Study, Peace, True Beauty

Protect Your Skin This Winter

February 2, 2012 by Ashley 1 Comment

Winter can be a harsh time for your skin, with central heating, hair dryers, cold air and nippy winds all causing damage. While cold temperatures and strong winds can leave your skin feeling dry and chapped, turning the heating up is no solution. Spending a lot of time in centrally heated spaces will cause further dehydration of the skin. Worse still, moving between very cold and very warm temperatures – such as entering a heated building after a long walk in the cold – can cause further irritation.

While it can be difficult to fit a thorough skin-care routine into your everyday life, if you have enough time to spare why not spend a few hours giving your skin a little TLC? Apply a face mask, use one of a suitable brand of waxing kits, follow it up with a high quality moisturiser and give yourself and your skin a much-needed break.

Alternatively, by following an efficient skincare routine, you can easily minimise the negative effects that winter has on your skin, keeping you looking fresh and healthy throughout the party season and right up to spring.

One of the simplest, cheapest, most effective and most frequently overlooked ways to protect your skin throughout the winter is to stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is just as important in winter as it is during the summer, although it can be more difficult to remember to do so. Try to keep a bottle of water close to hand at all times, to drink from while you work or relax. Deciding on how many bottles you need to get through each day in order to keep hydrated will give you an easy objective to keep in mind. You can also top up your water intake by drinking herbal teas, which will warm you up without the dehydrating effects of caffeinated hot drinks such as coffee or tea. It is also important to use a good moisturiser on both your hands and your face to keep them feeling smooth. Use a skin cream or primer underneath your foundation to keep your skin moisturised throughout the day.

Drinking fruit juices or eating fruit and vegetables that contain a high percentage of water will not only make it easier to keep hydrated, but will also keep you healthy and protect you from colds, which can leave your skin looking even worse. Colds and ‘flu can cause redness, inflammation, acne and cold sores. While the first three of these are easier to disguise using concealer and foundation, cold sores are more difficult to treat and can be irritating or painful. Wearing good-quality lip balm and making sure you get plenty of vitamins A, C and E will reduce your chances of developing cold sores, while acyclovir cream should help to reduce their effect in the event that you feel one developing.

Sleep is another important, yet frequently forgotten, essential to help protect your skin through the winter. While this is, of course, true all year round – dark circles and a haggard face is never an attractive look – it is especially true during the winter. Not only does the festive season bring with it the party time of year, but our increased dependence on harsh, artificial lighting during the winter months makes it even harder to disguise how little sleep you managed to grab the night before! Try to get at least eight hours’ sleep for at least four or five nights each week to keep your skin looking fresh and radiant.

This guest post was contributed by Leyla Kee-McParlin, an aspiring blogger who enjoys writing on a variety of topics and especially sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm for hair and beauty products. Leyla has a degree in English and French, and is currently writing on behalf of Salons Direct who are one of the leading stockists of professional hair & beauty supplies in the UK.

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: beauty, Tips

10 Ways to Save Money in the Home Office

November 9, 2011 by Ashley Leave a Comment

This is a guest post from Mr. James Adams. I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to leave comments on additional ways you’ve found to save money in your home office.

Each home office is created for the purpose of meeting a specific need for the person who must accomplish tasks. Some home offices are simply a place for mail to rest until the bills are paid. Other home offices are the launching pad for businesses that will move to a commercial space after a certain growth milestone is reached. Efforts spent saving nickels and dimes are essential in the first scenario, but not as important when the business is flourishing. Every home office owner will benefit from approaching the home office through a series of decisions that guide all purchasing decisions.

1. Evaluate The Office Purpose

If the home office will be used to conduct business with clients, the office entrance and furnishings must meet very high standards of cleanliness, safety, and professionalism. A home office that will be used exclusively by one person can be very casual and convenient without the emphasis on image and access.

2. Write Three Guiding Principles

Based on the established purpose of the office, every home office owner can write down three statements concerning costs. For example, “I will compare prices from three sources prior to purchasing furniture, supplies or services.” Another example might be, “I will purchase second-hand goods whenever possible to save money.”

3. Set A Budget

Actual dollar amounts should be assigned to the office set-up efforts which will include phone and internet connections, lighting, office furniture, filing supplies, and security measures. If a desk constructed from an old door resting on two file cabinets is all that is required, the budget should reflect this approach. When the home office must present a professional image, more money will be required to create a welcoming environment for clients.

4. Assess Value Of Time

Based on the anticipated income of the business, the value of the business owner’s time must be calculated. The importance of this detail cannot be overstated because choices must be made between completing tasks personally and hiring craftsmen and office assistants. If someone else’s time can be purchased for less money, help others by hiring them for their services.

5. Buy Quality Second-Hand

There are many sources of high-quality second hand goods, including: electronics, computer equipment, office supplies and furniture. When the office can be furnished over time, beautiful furnishings can be acquired for a fraction of the cost. When businesses close or move, they will sell equipment and supplies at great prices.

6. Enlist Help Appropriately

Saving money can also create income streams for people who have valuable skills. Building a custom piece of furniture might be a great weekend project, but it might be faster to hire a gifted woodworker. When printing a large print job, investigate the cost of hiring out the job to save your time and supplies.

7. Beware Of Costly Bargains

Free software might be a great asset for task completion, but some of that software can bring problems to your computer. Understand the difference between inexpensive printer ink and cheap printer ink. Some computer problems are caused by faulty cables and unreliable power sources.

8. Develop Internet Knowledge

Many great computer services are available on the internet, and the business owner with some internet savvy can save money on virtually anything. Powerful websites are available for accounting software and other business functions that are available for free or for a minimal charge.

9. Understand Every Actual Cost

Utility rates differ between daytime and evening, and every business owner should understand the benefit of positioning the home office to use natural light. Prices for supplies and services must be available to make decisions concerning outsourcing functions such as printing documents and photos so that money-saving decisions are easier.

10. Save But Do Not Skimp

Wise money spending means that needs are met, but waste is avoided in every category. Cheap paper will cause printer jams that can cause costly repairs. Cheap ink will not produce appealing documents because the ink will smudge and bleed. Cheap office furniture made from particleboard can be dangerous under the ever-increasing weight of books and files.

Every home office purchase must be weighed against numerous factors to ensure wise use of every dollar. Even the most lucrative business must restrain office expenses in favor of directing funds to areas of the business that will generate revenue. Waiting to make certain purchases will yield better value, but delay in other areas can cause additional expense because of the trends in commodity prices. Follow the three guiding principles written in step 2 to make wise purchases every time.

Currently employed by a company in Manchester that is mostly made up of printer cartridge and toner experts, James Adams is the office expert on HP cartridges in the office and can usually be found writing about them on the internet.

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: Home Office, Homemaking, Tips, WAH

Frugal Food Allergy Living: Well-Stocked Pantry

August 26, 2011 by Ashley Leave a Comment

This is the last week for my guest posting stump for Embracing Beauty. I am so grateful to Ashley for this opportunity to share my experiences with food allergies and frugality. I hope that it has been helpful to you as well. Many blessings to you, Ashley, and your sweet family.

If you want to know more about food allergies and how to live frugally with them, you can find me everyday at The Willing Cook. If you ever have any questions or requests, don’t hesitate to let me know.

I came across a post recently that mentions the cost savings of having a well-stocked pantry/freezerand I thought that it would be a great “extra” post for the Frugal Food Allergy Living series.

Living a frugal lifestyle can be a daunting task. Throw in food allergies and you have a real challenge on your hands. But challenges are good, right? Personally, I get a sense of satisfaction out of saving a few dollars at the grocery store, especially allergy-friendly foods, and creating healthy, safe and delicious foods for my family.

It is easier to accomplish frugal food allergy living when most of your ducks are in a row. On top of the list is having a well-stocked pantry. While it is an inconvenience to not have enough eggs for the cookies you are making to take to your son’s birthday party at school, you can always borrow an egg from a neighbor. What if your son has an egg allergy and you are completely out of egg replacer? You can’t simply borrow egg replacer.

Having a well-stocked pantry is…

Convenient
Saves money
Essential for food allergies

A well-stocked pantry is convenient. There is no arguing with this point. It’s a pain to be in the middle of cooking and realize that you are missing a key ingredient. It can change an entire dish.

A well-stocked pantry saves money.

You can stock up on the pantry essentials when they are on sale, instead of being forced to pay full price. If you find that you have to make a quick trip up to the over-priced corner store to pick up that missing item, you are going to pay more.
You save on gas and time when you don’t have to make that spur-of-the-moment trip to the grocery store for that one missing item.
If you have to make a quick run to the store, you are more prone to put other items into your basket that may not be on your grocery budget.

A well-stocked pantry is essential for food allergies.

There are not always easy substitutions for missing allergy foods. Substituting for the “real” thing is simply not an option; in fact, it is dangerous.
You cannot easily borrow an ingredient from a neighbor.
The small corner grocery store is less likely to carry a good selection of allergy-friendly foods causing you to make a trip to the larger grocery store.
Specialty allergy foods are not always the cheapest products on the grocery shelves. It is good to save a little money by stocking up when they go on sale, not in a last minute state of desperation.

Here is my list for a well-stocked food allergy pantry that I posted a while back.

What can you add to this list? What are your reasons for having a well-stocked pantry? What do you include in your well-stocked pantry that I don’t have on my list?

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: Food Allergies, guest post, Stockpile, The Willing Cook

Frugal Food Allergy Living: Avoid Restaurants?

August 12, 2011 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Wow! I can’t believe there is only one week left in this series and in my guest posting. It has been fun for me to write and share this information with the Embracing Beauty readers. I hope that you have benefited from it. If you have any further questions or suggestions on the topic, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m happy to continue with this series as long as needed in order to cover all the basis.

If you are just now tuning into the series on Frugal Food Allergy Living, you can read more on food allergies and living frugally at The Willing Cook.

From the original post Food Allergies and Budgets:

Avoid Restaurants
In our home, the possibility of cross-contamination carries too much of a risk just for the convenience. Plus, I can fix dinner for my family of 5 for about the same price as 1 Happy Meal.

We have two main reasons for avoiding restaurants: food allergies and money. If we didn’t have food allergies with which to contend and an abundance of money, we might frequent restaurants much more often. But that is not our situation, and we are fine with it.

Restaurants and Food Allergies:

You truly never know what you’re going to get. I have heard numerous stories, including our own experience, when you think a meal is safe and ends up tragic.
A new chef/cook at a restaurant that has always been “safe,” can change up the ingredients in a familiar dish. I was told a story of this happening to a man with a peanut allergy that ended in his tragic death (The pharmacist told me this story after my son was in the ER for his anaphylactic reaction at a restaurant. Maybe not the best story to tell an already anxious mother.)
You can tell a server of your food allergies, but they either don’t care or don’t understand the acute danger of it. There was a recent news story of a woman dying in Israel from a nut allergy at a restaurant after informing her server of her allergy, but was served it anyway.
All your ducks could be in a row, yet there is still a risk of cross-contamination. Cross-contamination can be in the form of sharing serving utensils with allergy food, allergy food on the same grill as your “safe” food or many other possibilities.
Unknown ingredients. If you are not able to read the packaging from which the food comes, you cannot be certain of it’s safety. Bread/buns with a milk ingredient is a good example of this.

Restaurants and Budgets

I have heard news reports that low-income families cannot afford healthy food, so that is why they tend to be overweight and/or make poor food choices. I do not completely buy this. While it might be the case that food stamps do not cover healthier food options (the specifics of this, I do not know), there are still inexpensive options with fresh produce and manager special meat. I could get on a soapbox about this, but I will refrain from that here.
I have figured out that I can easily feed my family of 5 a nutritious and tasty dinner for less than the price of a value meal at McDonald’s. You can read this post on a recent weekly menu where we only spent $30 for 5 meals for our family. It is so easy to do.
Eating out is expensive! Period. You can try to mimic a favorite restaurant dish at home by simply googling the recipe.

The Exceptions

Sometimes it’s just nice to be able to get away from home and enjoy someone else serving you. You have to budget for it though and you have to be practical about what you can afford.

Don’t buy the lobster tail when you should settle for salmon.
Skip the appetizer, dessert and drinks, and have them at home instead before/after you go.
Be selective about your restaurant. If you don’t go out to eat very often, save this special treat for a place that you know will end in an enjoyable meal.
If you know you should cut this expense out of your budget, try it slowly. If you go out to eat once or twice per week, slowly knock it down to once or twice a month.
Look for coupons. Groupon, Living Social and Restaurant.com are great websites for finding restaurant coupons. Some large cities have city-specific deals websites too.

As far as food allergies go, I have read that chain restaurants typically have specific protocols in place for food preparation, ingredients, etc., making them a possibly “safer” choice. Note that I said “typically.” Many restaurants have their menus online with ingredient information that you can check before going.
Allergy Eats is an online guide to allergy friendly restaurants. You can read personal reviews of many restaurants and leave your own.
When in doubt, bring your own food (or your child’s food) to a restaurant. Let your server know of your food allergies and ask if they mind that you brought your own food. This is especially the case if you have to go to a restaurant for a special occasion/gathering. Most of the time, restaurants are relieved.

Finally, always carry your allergy rescue medication with you! It can save a life!

Do you have any experience or suggestions to add about avoiding restaurants in order to live a frugal food allergy life?

Our final post in the Frugal Food Allergy Living series next week: Prepare Food from Scratch.

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: Food Allergies, guest post, Restaurants, The Willing Cook

Frugal Food Allergy Living: Make Homemade Gluten-free Flour

July 29, 2011 by Ashley 1 Comment

You can see all the posts in this series by clicking on Frugal Food Allergy Living series. You can find more about living with food allergies on a budget at The Willing Cook.

Money Saving Mom featured my “Reader Tip” back in April. I encourage you to read that post Make Gluten-free Flour Using Your Coffee Grinder. Today, I will elaborate on those points a little further.

From the original post on Food Allergies and Budgets:

Pre-packaged gluten-free flours are pricey. A coffee bean grinder and whole grains/nuts can be a wonderful way to save money and enjoy various “flour” dishes. I have mentioned this on The Willing Cook website when I discussed my essential kitchen tools and more is to follow on the specifics of homemade flour in an upcoming post.

My husband has a wheat allergy, but no other glutens. His allergy is not so severe that I have to only buy certified gluten-free oats. Many oats on the market have a chance of being cross-contaminated with wheat (they interchange growing wheat and oats on the same field and use the same processing equipment), so most Celiac sufferers and severe wheat allergies have to use certified gluten-free oats. (I can tell you that they are not cheap.)

Since oats are a staple in his diet, especially for breakfast, this was the first place we started making our own flour. I could never come to terms with the high price of the pre-packaged wheat-free flours on the grocery shelf. So I decided that we should try to make our own flour and thought our small coffee bean grinder would be a great place to start. The money savings: oats already in the pantry and coffee bean grinder given to me as a birthday gift years ago — win-win budget savings.

Our first attempt was the wonderful recipe for date bars. I thought oat flour would work great for the crumbly crust and top. We were not disappointed (and we served them successfully to company too). We followed this with ground rice flour for our gluten-free fish breading. Again, we had a winner.

Over the years, we have successfully ground oats, white and brown rice, chickpeas, tapioca pearls, almonds, and even Rice Chex once when I was out of oats. This experiment has helped us keep a trimmed budget because we don’t buy the pre-packaged gluten-free flours.

Braun Coffee Grinder is the brand that we own and it has worked nicely for us. The one drawback is that the size is just over a half cup, so it doesn’t make large batches of flour. (Not that you would want to make large batches for fear of it going rancid.) There are larger coffee bean grinders on the market, such as Cuisinart DBM-8 and Bodum Bistro, but I do not have experience with them.

The other option, of course, is a grain mill. I have heard wonderful reports from people who grind their own wheat flour in a grain mill. They say there is nothing better than fresh baked bread made with freshly ground wheat. Upon researching the options, I found a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer Grain Mill attachment and the Electric Wondermill Whisper Mill. These options are much pricier, but would grind larger quantities of flour.

How does it work?

You put the grain in your coffee grinder and grind it to the desired consistency. Repeat as necessary until you reach the required amount. That is it!

Old-Fashioned Oats in Coffee Grinder

Grinding Oats

Freshly Ground Oat Flour

What are the actual savings of grinding your own gluten-free flour versus buying the pre-packaged flours?

I noted a few of the comparisons that I researched for the Money Saving Mom guest post. Here is a little more detail on where I find the best prices:

Old-Fashioned Oats: The cheapest I have found is $1.99 for a 48oz can at Aldi. Compared to Amazon’s price on oat flour, there is about a 50-80% savings.
Almonds: Best price for whole almonds is at Costco or Sam’s Club. If you can get them for $3.99/lb., that is a good price. Recently, I have been buying my almond flour at Trader Joe’s as it is less than buying whole almonds and grinding them. If you don’t have TJs, try grinding them yourself.
Rice: I buy the large 25lb. bag of Basmati Rice at Costco. Aldi used to carry brown rice for the best price, but they no longer do. I now buy it at Costco. We eat a lot of rice, so buying the large quantity is a good deal for us. Over pre-packaged rice flour on Amazon, I save about 50%.
I buy whole chickpeas and tapioca pearls at a local Asian grocer. This saves me about 90% over the pre-packaged ground flours.

So, have I convinced you to grind your own gluten-free flour? It truly is easy and economical. If you already grind your own flour (gluten-free or not), do you have any tips to share?

Up next week in the Frugal Food Allergy Living series: Shop Around

Filed Under: Tips

Frugal Food Allergy Living: Use Coupons

July 15, 2011 by Ashley Leave a Comment

So far in this guest post series has been Food Allergies and Budgets and Shopping Grocery Ads. You can read more on the subject of food allergies at The Willing Cook, including budget & cooking tips, recipes, personal stories and more.

Today’s topic: Using Coupons to help your grocery budget, even when living with food allergies. Since this is partially a coupon site, this is not news to most of you and probably old hat to many. However, just because you have food allergies or Celiac doesn’t mean you have to throw all those coupons out the window (just some). I hope that some of you will find good advice from this post today. From the original post on Food Allergies and Budgets…

Coupons for allergy-friendly foods are few, but they aren’t completely non-existent. When there is an allergy coupon, ask friends and family for their extra. I do not purchase a Sunday paper because I don’t like buying it when I may barely break even. A neighbor gives me her coupons or I check the recycling center. Another resource is the online coupon sites. Also, coupons for toiletry and household products can help reduce the budget. Every dollar saved helps and it adds up!

Now, let’s break that down…

First, coupon options:
1. Sunday Newspaper
2. Websites: Coupons.com, Redplum.com, Smartsource.com
3. Coupon Blogs: Many of the grocery deal/coupon blogs have links to coupons. I mentioned some of my favorite in grocery ad/coupon match ups in last weeks post.
4. “Blinkies”: Coupon displays on grocery store shelves.
5. Digital Coupons that are store-specific.
6. Printable or printed store-specific coupons (ex., Whole Foods prints the“Whole Deal” and can be found in the store or on their website).
7. Other Media: magazines, newspapers, periodicals, mailers, etc.

Using the various outlets for coupons, you can find allergy-friendly food coupons, on occasion. If online, print them quickly as they tend to run out of the number available quickly.
Round up as many of the unused allergy-friendly coupons from the Sunday newspaper as you can from neighbors, family, friends, recycling centers, etc. A good example are recent coupons for Silk Almond Milk. A big couponing friend of mine buys 8 newspapers each week, but does not use the Almond Milk coupons. I scored big time on these when they gave all 8 to me. With these coupons and a recent sale at Kroger, I was able to get Silk Almond Milk for 99¢/half gallon. We are still using up this stash of Almond Milk as they do not expire as quickly as cow’s milk.
If you are like my family and are only able to snip a small number of coupons from the Sunday newspaper each week, you must decide if the cost of the newspaper outweighs the savings with the coupons. If that is the case, you’re not helping your budget to buy the newspaper. I have a neighbor who does not use her coupons, so she gives them to me. You could ask family, friends or even check recycling centers.
Coupons are not limited to just food. You can save a lot of money in a year using coupons for health, toiletry and household items.

Advice on Using Coupons

Just because you snip a coupon doesn’t mean you have to use it. I will often cut out a coupon just in case I find a great deal on it when matched up with a sale. There are many times when I allow coupons to expire (or I will place them on the grocery shelf for someone else’s use) because it’s not a product that I really need and it’s not a good enough price to warrant purchase.
Along the same lines, using a coupon just because you have it can still have a negative affect on your budget. If you don’t really need the item now, need the item in the future or plan to donate the item, why spend the money on it? Many new couponers find themselves in this position where they buy things because they have the coupon and find at the end of the month that they’ve actually spent more with coupons than without. Be careful of this trap!
Try your best to hold onto a coupon until the item goes on sale, so that you can get the most bang for your buck. You can often score free products this way.

Couponing Extras

Many people donate or sell their extra coupons. If you have a big stockpile of coupons, this might be a good avenue for you.
If you find yourself stockpiling on items, especially household and toiletry items, consider donating them to non-profit organizations that help others. With the recent tornadoes, there has been an outpouring of coupon-generated stockpiles for these needy people.

Do you have any additional tips about incorporating couponing into your food allergy budget? Please share your ideas with us!

Next week: Frugal Food Allergy Living: Shop “Manager Specials”

Filed Under: Tips

Frugal Food Allergy Living: Shop Grocery Ads

July 8, 2011 by Ashley 3 Comments

In case you missed it, you can read the first post, Food Allergies and Budgets, from this guest post series. You can read more on the subject of food allergies at The Willing Cook, including budget & cooking tips, recipes, personal stories and more.

Last week, I asked the question of whether it is possible to be frugal and have food allergies? When faced with the reality of “specialty” foods, how can you possibly stick to a strict budget? Today, we start breaking down the brief list of how you can begin and stick to a food allergy budget. Of course, none of these suggestions are specific to food allergy shoppers. They are great tips for everyone to follow. However, if you find that you are having a hard time keeping a budget as you incorporate food allergies into your life, these suggestions are a great place to start.

On the initial list of how to have food allergies and a budget was “Shop the Grocery Ads.”

As soon as the week’s ads come out, take 15 minutes to find the best deals. Circle each item or write it down and indicate if you have a coupon for it. Try to minimize buying non-sale items.

Where to Shop the Grocery Ads:

Many cities deliver paper copies of the grocery ads at the end of each week for the upcoming week’s sales. If this is not the case where you live, almost all grocery stores have websites where they publish their ads the first day the sales start.
In many cases, you can do a google search, such as “Meijer grocery ad June 12” and come up with a number of websites or coupon blogs that have the deals listed for you. You will find a variety of features on these blogs, including customized printable grocery list, coupon match-ups, and more. Some blogs that I suggest are EmbracingBeauty, Money Saving Mom, Southern Savers, Faithful Provisions, and Happy Homemaker Cindy (note: some of these sites are region-specific).
The best deal on certain products may not be in a store at all. I have heard from a number of people that Amazon has some good deals (they rotate) on allergy-friendly foods, especially if you use the “subscribe & save” feature. I have not personally bought allergy foods from amazon as I have always found better deals at my local stores, but it may be a good choice for people with few local store options.
Along with Amazon, there are many other online stores that sell organic or allergy-friendly foods. Saving Naturally is a great source for the best deals on a variety of these type of stores, including the Amazon deals.

How to Shop the Grocery Ads:

Once you have located the grocery ads (either paper copy or online source), start scouring the ads for products that you use or buy frequently.
Circle the items that are a good price and indicate how many of that item you will purchase.*
Look through your stash of coupons (we will discuss coupons next week) and match-up what you have with what items you have circled. If using an online coupon source, print out any available coupons that match your selections.
Organize your coupons according to number, type and store. This really helps with the amount of time you spend in the store, especially if you are fortunate to have kids in tow.
In some cases, there might be a coupon code available for online stores. Do searches for these codes as you might be able to get a percentage off your total or free shipping.

Learning to Shop the Grocery Ads:

After repeat exposure to the grocery ads over time, you will start to see a cycle. Every few months, stores cycle through their product deals. If you find a good deal on a particular item, try to stock up on it until the next cycle.
You will also start noticing what really is a good sale and what can wait for a better price.*
If comparing between multiple stores, you may see deals rotate on opposite weeks as they compete for your business.
Once you begin your shopping, it is very important that you stick to your list and the grocery ads. This is the only way you will stay on your budget, especially if you’re “prone to wander.”

*Note: Grocery prices are on the rise, so a current price may or may not be the best you are going to get. It’s the risk you take in buying now or waiting. If it appears to be the rock-bottom price, see if your budget will allow you to stock up.

Have I missed anything from you seasoned food allergy budget shoppers?

Up next week: Frugal Food Allergy Living: Use Coupons

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: food, Grocery, guest post, The Willing Cook