Save Time with Amazon School Supply Lists

Back to school time saving tip: Amazon has loaded many schools' school supply lists on its website. While I can't swear by the price comparison versus hitting the local sales, it can certainly save you the headaches of kids who want a folder with ___ on it, or not finding any glue!

Check out their School Supply Shopping Site, and search by zip code to find your school!

15 Minion crafts to celebrate the Minion movie launch

Today on my Girl Scout blog, Use Resources Wisely, I'm sharing 15 fun and unique ways to craft your way toward celebrating the launch of the new Minions movie. Check it out!

How I'm not paying for school supplies - thanks to ibotta

School supply lists get longer each year. And the costs keep going up.

This year, between two students, we're being asked for three dozen folders, one box of specialty brand colored pencils for art and two sets of headphones for the computer room. And that's on top of the traditional school supply lists we've grown accustomed to.

I printed off my children's lists and groaned at the length, and wondered how I'd afford it all.

And then I relaxed, realizing I don't have to worry at all.

For the last year, I've used the ibotta app to submit receipts for everyday grocery items I buy. Granted, there are many, many name-brand groceries I don't purchase, but if I am buying it anyway, or even better partnering with a Cartwheel discount or paper coupon, I take advantage of this service.

Dollar by dollar, quarter by quarter, I've amassed more than $125 toward my school supplies, which I'll be cashing out soon for a Walmart gift card. And that's with doing very little effort. 

By submitting rebates on everyday items like milk, eggs and orange juice throughout the year, I've saved enough to pay for most of my school supply shopping this month!

Groceries and beauty/wellness products are the biggest categories on ibotta, but you can also score with discounts for baby supplies, specialty gifts, sports items, restaurant chains and clothing from major retailers like Macy's, Kohl's, Target and Cabela's. 

Online shoppers will love it come Christmas shopping season, when you can often get rebates of $5 to $15 off of $50 to $100 purchases.

But it doesn't take much effort to collect funds for this year's school supply shopping. You can scroll the item list, check out a task to unlock a rebate and then scan in your receipt after your purchase.

Ibotta recently launched cash back on any brand, which is a blessing. I can even get discounts on produce like bananas and lemons.

 If you'd like to check out ibotta, visit my referral link to get started: https://ibotta.com/r/ghueqyw

What's the best deal you've scored through ibotta? 

The new Cinderella movie: Have courage, and be kind

My daughter and I had the chance to attend an early screening of Disney's new Cinderella movie this week.
At first, I questioned why her Girl Scout council was promoting this event for older girls - after all, it's just a Disney movie.

But this may be one of my favorite live-action adaptations of classic Disney films of all time.

If you're looking for singing mice and bippity boppity boo, go back to the 1950s original. Instead, watch for a Cinderella who shows poise and strength despite the increasing abusive treatment from her stepmother and stepsisters.

Have courage, and be kind

"Have courage, and be kind" was the advice given to Cinderella by her mother on her deathbed. It's a message Cinderella struggles to uphold during difficult times, but she ultimately lets her light shine through even in her darkest moments.

On a day when she has suffered enough, she takes her horse for an escape into the woods, where she encounters none other than the prince, who's hunting. Her compassion for a hunted deer catches his attention, and in their discussions she learns on how he torn between following his father's orders and following his heart. She offers him the advice of "Have courage, and be kind."

I loved the movie, and I loved the message. But I was surprised by some unintended results.

My daughter, a fourth-grader, has never truly overcome being bullied for a good portion of last year. While the behavior was put to an end, she deals with trust issues, sadly, with most of the girls in her grade. And while she longs to be part of the group, there's a part of her that hangs back, that hides her true self.

The day after the preview, she shared with me her disappointment that a new girl was invited to lunch, "but no one invites me." Yet she lacked the confidence to even approach the girls she liked. My advice? "Remember the movie: Have courage, and be kind."

The next afternoon, she reported that she joined some girls at lunch and had a wonderful time. I asked if she was asked or if she just joined. She had summed up her courage - the kindness I never worried about - and put herself out there. And, not to my surprise, she was accepted for who she was.



Cinderella comes out later this month, but you can order the Cinderella: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack here. 

Lego Birthday Party on a Budget

Birthday parties are a cause for excitement - and discouragement.

Excitement for the little ones. Discouragement due to the messy house and even messier costs of excitement.

I've always tried to limit the costs of my child's birthday party to $75 or under, but I know there has been some budget creep. 

This year, when my son wanted a Lego theme for his seventh birthday, we went for it. 

We brought out every Lego in the house and set up a building zone in the toy room.

We let the boys watch The Lego Movie and munch on bowls and bowls of freshly popped popcorn while it rained.

We had plans for a low-key homemade cake with a small Lego figure and vehicle on top. When the cake crumbled - literally - we went to a plan B  - Lego "cup"cakes - literally frosting and cake pieces in a cup. Those first-graders gobbled it up.

And when the rain finally came to an end, we took advantage of the still-warm weather to play games on the driveway.

Our goodie bags were replaced with a bag with a thank you note, a Lego Ninjago DVD we got on Black Friday, and a copy of the Lego magazine (which we received for free just by emailing the Lego company.)

Did anyone notice there was no bounce house? No unique location? No wild activities? 

No. These were just boys having a good day.

Just remember: Bigger isn't always better. 

Budget Star Wars Jedi Party for Our Boys

The Force should be with all birthday party planners.

A December birthday is a tough act. Most years the weather doesn't cooperate, and the spirits are high with the over-sugared, over-active Christmas season.

But when our 6 year old wanted a Star Wars birthday, we knew we could make it happen.

The great thing is we pulled this party off on a budget. Here's how we did it.

Cake: 
I'm not afraid of making the "homemade" birthday cake out of a box mix. Rather than pay for a high-price bakery, we frosted the cake and put a small Lego Star Wars figure on top for a decoration. (Sorry, I just can't do all the Pinterest amazing cakes, nor do we necessarily have to!)

Pinata:
We splurged and did a pinata (something I rarely do). There was a party store going out of business, so we took a pinata and converted it to Darth Vader with a little paint and creativity. Poor Darth got a beating out of him both during the pinata game and after.

Costumes:
Yes, we pulled out all the stops, including Jedi costumes for the boys. Lest you think I have great skills, these entailed a large-sized brown T-shirt and inflatable light sabers from the party section at Target.

Activities:
Jedi training was the name of the game. And even though the weather outside was frightful, we had plenty of activities to keep the boys busy.

We laid the ground rules early. As part of our training, after each training session we went to the "Jedi circle." We then did silly party games like keep the balloon in the air using your Jedi skills, light saber training, a training maze created by the girls, etc.

At the end, we watched part of the Star Wars movie until parents picked the boys up.

You don't need fancy or high cost to do a party that the boys will remember...even if it's like the boy at the left who told me a year later that he liked everything but the light sabers should not have been pink!

Slaying Debt in 2015? This Book is For You

Getting rid of our credit card debt has been a dream of mine since my husband was able to return to work a few years ago. But the details made it tricky. Getting half his former salary, combined with the expenses of Catholic school (a priority for us as well) and the unexpected expenses, and our debt, despite our efforts kept trickling up.

I'll admit it. I've been frustrated. I've been angry. I've wondered more than once, How could this happen?

But I'm relieved to learn I'm not alone. Recently I read - and re-read - an advance copy of Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After, written by Indiana author and blogger Cherie Lowe.

Here's the thing: It doesn't matter if your debt happened over a big mistake, a lot of small mistakes or misfortune. The reality is you can get out of it.

Here's what I love about Slaying the Debt Dragon: It's a book filled with baby steps, hiccups and great advice. I love that Lowe comes clean about the impact massive debt has on her family, her marriage, her faith and her sense of self. And I love that she has a success story to share.

Lowe's story is about a leap of faith and a series of small changes that over time built her family's success in paying off $127,000 in debt. I've read this twice already - once just after it arrived, looking for small tips to glean and try, and a second with new eyes after getting a small raise. What can I do differently? The answer is it starts with a plan and ends with consistency. But a little sense of humor never hurts too.