Use Reward Cards As A Pot Scrubber

I got this tip awhile ago from TipNut.com. If you have never been to Tip Nut, there are some great tips, and crafts there that I know you will love. You can use those old rewards cards or even the ones the hard plastic ones you get in the mail to clean the bottom of your pots. You simply scrape the bottom of your pots, pans or casserole dishes with the card. It doesn't scratch or damage the surface.

Making Money While You Search

Some of you may know about sites that you can win prizes or points while you search. If you don't these are great ways to earn points and prizes for things like gift cards or other items that you can use for gifts.

The reason why I like these search engines is because, why shouldn't I earn points for doing something that I already do, search the internet. Another reason why this is great for me is because I work for ChaCha and kgb_ and I search the internet more than the average person would. So, I get points when I work. It is a win, win situation for me.

Right now, I really like using Winzy. The reason is because I think it has a lot more links that I am able to use. Also, I have been able to earn the most points from them. They also have these great little games, I usually get one or two a day, where you can earn extra points. The other two search engines I use are Swagbucks and Blingo. Swagbucks is great, but I really don't like their rewards very much. The search engine is nice, but it doesn't always have the info that I need. Blingo is my least favorite. Most the time when I use the search engine, I have to use another, because I can't find what I am looking for.

If you haven't already done so, sign up for one or all of these sites and tell me what you think. You can click on my links and those are my referral links, or you can simply search the sites and sign up that way.

Back to Basics Cooking

It has been pretty warm up here in the Pacific Northwest and I am not complaining. I am from Southern California and it is really nice to have the warm weather. I really miss it sometimes. Like, when we have had months of rain with no sun in sight.

When it is warm, I don't like to turn on the oven, and I really don't like standing in the kitchen for an hour or so making dinner, so I am always trying to think of some dishes that are quick and easy, that I don't have to turn the oven or stove on.

Today, I started thinking about when I started cooking. When I was younger, my mom worked two jobs and I was left to make dinner for the family. As a teenager, I didn't want to spend time in the kitchen cooking, so I made really quick easy meals. Why don't I do that know? I think it is because I am an adult with my own family that I feel the need to cook a nice dinner every night.

Well, I don't. Why can't I make meals like I made when I was younger. It is OK, and it is also a wonderful and easy way to get my son involved in helping to cook meals. So, I am going back to basics. I am going to start making those meals that I made when I starting cooking. Now, I won't make these every night, but it will be nice and it might give me inspiration to simplify other meals.

For my meal tonight, I am going to make English Muffin Pizza. I am going to toast the english muffins in the toaster, so I don't have to turn the oven on and then melt the cheese in the microwave. Totally Old School cooking.

Other things I use to make were chicken nuggets, corn dogs, sandwiches and actually one of my favorites, cereal for dinner. When did that become wrong to do? I don't feed it to my family every night.

So, if you have back to basic recipes or ideas, please share them with me. I would love to have more suggestions.

Review: Scott Extra Soft Toilet Paper

I know, what a crazy thing to review, toilet paper. I use to be a toilet paper snob. I only liked Cottenelle or Charmin. I didn't care if it was more expensive, that is what I liked, and that is what I bought. For years I did this. But recently, I was in need of toilet paper and went to my local Target. They always have the large packages on sale and I was looking at the prices. The Scott was a lot less and had a lot more paper, so I tried it. And I liked it.

I will admit that it is really not as soft as Cottenelle or Charmin, but the Extra Soft is soft and very durable. And it has more paper on the roll. I do like the Extra Soft more than the regular. The regular Scott toilet paper is not as good. It isn't very soft and there isn't much paper on the roll.

Another great thing that I love about Scott is that it is on sale at Target frequently. There are coupons available at http://www.scottcommonsense.com/Offers.aspx and if you save Box Tops, they are a part of that. To me this is a win, win situation.

Where Have I Been?

I just wanted to touch base with you and let you know why I haven't been here. This Memorial Weekend was beautiful. I spent the weekend with my family and it was really nice. It was much needed time together and up here in Oregon it was the first Memorial Weekend in 8 years that we didn't have rain. (Although I have only been here for 3 Memorial Weekends, it was nice to have no rain.) I have also been tired and not feeling very well.

I will return in a few days after some rest and I will bring you some of those deals and steals that you enjoy.

Bookcloseouts.com

Bookcloseouts.com is my all time favorite place to purchase books. They have great prices and deals every month. My husband and son love to read and they read so quickly. They both go through books so fast, it sometimes gets a bit expensive to keep up with their hobby.

I have been purchasing books through them for about 2 years now. I have even passed this information to my sons teachers who have since started purchasing books through Book Closeouts.

Although the books that they have are not usually the newest titles, you will be able to find some wonderful books. Book Closeouts has mostly overstock books and some that have been discountinued and the inventory changes all the time. Sign up for the email and you will be notified of new offers.

Organizing With Office and Kitchen Supplies

In this weeks "Quick and Simple" newsletter, there was an article on recycling office and kitchen supplies. There are some interesting uses for common items that you may have in your home. I thought it was worth sharing, so enjoy reading "17 Ingenious Things To Do With Old Office And Kitchen Supplies".