Hey, friends!  Today you can find me over at Wise Dollar, sharing 10 ways in which you can save money at home.  Have a great  Monday!

Here it is, 5a.m. and I’m up again.  Now, normally, this is my “get up” time, but today, it’s my “stay up” time.  Along with insight on the work involved in heating your home with wood, I thought I’d share another thing you may not realize about living life on a farm: the perils and PITAs (pain in the arses) of wild animals. Read more

Happy Monday, Frugal Farmer friends!!  I’m so very excited to be a part of this promotion and giveaway.  My dear friend Shannon, who blogs over at The Heavy Purse, has released an awesome new book, geared toward kids to help them become eager to learn to save and manage money properly!  As you can see, The Lemonade Stand has an engaging yellow cover.  However what’s on the inside is even better.   Not only is the book filled with colorful and fun illustrations, it’s filled with valuable and useful information for kids.  As you might guess, the story is about kids who open a Lemonade stand.

Four kids, all with dreams of their own, start a lemonade stand as a way to make those dreams happen.  Their road to success is not without bumps along the way, but the team works through them gracefully and makes it to their goal.  One of my favorite things about the book is that the kids are required to pay mom and dad back for the supplies needed for the “business” when it’s time to count up the profits.  This little addition to the story is, in my opinion, vitally important, as it makes sure kids know the real story about owning and running a business.

If you’re interested in teaching your kids how to earn and manage money responsibly, then The Lemonade Stand is for you. Thanks Shannon, for such an awesome addition to the world of financial literacy for children.

The Lemonade Stand – iPad Mini Giveaway

July 14-31, 2014

Sponsored by The Heavy Purse

Join Lauren and Taylor in their continuing money adventures in The Lemonade Stand by Shannon Ryan, CFP®. Shannon is a Mom on a mission to help busy parents teach their children simple, value-based principles that guide their money decisions and support their long-term financial well-being.

“Everyone handles money. Unfortunately, not everyone does it with confidence. Money has long been a taboo topic in many homes, which makes it even harder for parents to know where to start or what to teach. So I created a series of children books to help parents ease into these important conversations. Financial literacy is one of the most loving gifts you can give your children, and I encourage everyone to make money conversations a priority in your home.”

We’re Giving Away an iPad Mini to One Lucky Reader!

Help us celebrate the release of The Lemonade Stand and join Shannon in her mission to increase financial literacy in both children and adults.

The giveaway runs from July 14-31, 2014 and is open worldwide.*

* A winner located outside of the United States will receive a cash equivalent prize via PayPal.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Co-hosted by Are Ya Gonna Eat That, Broke Millennial, Budget and The Beach, Budget Blonde, Budgeting for More, Busy Mom Budgets, Cash Cow Couple, Cents and Sensibility, Club Thrifty, Color Me Frugal, Debt Debs, Debt Roundup, Disease Called Debt, Eat Laugh Purr, Enemy of Debt, Eyes on the Dollar, Femme Frugality, Financially Blonde, Frugal Rules, Living Richly Cheaply, Luke 1428, Making Sense of Cents, Money Saving Dude, Monster Piggy Bank, Not Now Mom’s Busy, Reach Financial Independence, Shoeaholic No More, Stacking Benjamins, Tackling Our Debt, The Broke and Beautiful Life, The Finance Girl, The Frugal Farmer, The Random Path, Thrifty Dad, VeegMama and Young Adult Money.

Happy 4th of July, my friends!!  The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays, for a number of reasons, but mostly because it reminds me of how very hard the pilgrims and founding fathers fought and worked to establish America as a nation.   How blessed we are to live in a country with so many freedoms and so much opportunity.

I’ll be keeping it short and sweet today by, first of all, sharing a link with you about how it’s vitally important that you take care when dealing with fireworks tomorrow and throughout the holiday weekend.  You can find that story by clicking here.

Second, I thought I’d share some of my favorite recipe ideas in case you’re looking bring or make food for a holiday gathering of some sort.

Looking for something sweet?  Try my Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe or my Blueberry Streusel Muffin recipe.  Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Pistachio Salad are two more party favorites.

Looking for something on the salty side?  Try our Homemade Pico De Gallo, our Homemade Guacamole or our Homemade Potato Chip/Veggie Dip.  If you’re looking for a dish, try these delicious Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches, or, a potluck favorite, Mom’s Spanish Rice. 

Whatever your plans, I hope you have a safe and super fun weekend.    Thank you, so much, for being a part of the Frugal Farmer family. 🙂

 

 

Happy Saturday, friends!!!  As a “thank you” to all of our faithful readers, we have decided that, from now on, all Frugal Farmer published e-books will be FREE!  Yes, you heard it right: FREE.  Zero dollars.  Since much of the wisdom contained in the books was free to me, I wanted to pass that blessing on to all of our readers and visitors at The Frugal Farmer.  So if you click on the “e-books” tab at the top of the home page, you’ll be able to download them all at no charge.  Thank you so much for supporting our vision here at The Frugal Farmer.  We appreciate you!

Happy Father’s Day, Frugal Farmer friends!  Today I want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, like-a-fathers, and all of those men who’ve worked so hard to impact the lives of those younger generations around them.

And an extra special Happy Father’s Day to:

My dad.  Dad, you are the best.  Thank you for being so loving and good to us.  Thank you for teaching us the value of hard work, and thank you for being there for us whenever we need you.  I am so very thankful that God chose you to be my dad.

My husband.  Rick, thank you for being the father of our children, and for working so very hard to be the best dad you can be.  Thank you for working so hard to make sure our children know love, laughter, integrity and God.  I love you, with all of my heart.

My stepdad.  Thank you for working so hard to be there for us without ever trying to replace our dad.  You are awesome at being a great stepdad.

Whatever your situation with your dad, I hope you have a wonderful day today.  You are loved!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit

 

Don’t think for a moment that your precious sacrifices of time, money, family and often life, are forgotten, even for a moment.  There are millions of people out there like our family who think often about all that you have done, currently do, and will continue to do to protect our country and its citizens.  For all that you do, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.  We will cherish and value your service always, and commit to teaching our descendants to do the same.  May God bless you and keep you and your families.