My URL Link Has Been Changed

Hello everyone! I have the best readers ever! You all have been so patient with me. I know it's been a rough week or so without me posting. Trust me, it's been crazy for me too! I've noticed a few followers dropping off here and there, but I wanted to promise the rest of my faithful followers that I will be back to my usual self completely by next week.

Here's some new info for all of you:

I have changed my URL address/link to my-frugal-lifestyle.com. So, if you have bookmarked my site, have my button, or have my link on your blog or computer, please change it to my new one. You can still access my website by my old URL, but the moment I change my web host, you may have a hard time finding me. I have changed the link in my button {my button has stayed the same, only the link has been changed}. Here it is for you! Just copy and paste:

<a href="http://my-frugal-lifestyle.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="My Frugal Lifestyle" src="
http://i974.photobucket.com/albums/ae223/wickedly_creative_designs/My%20Frugal%20Lifestyle%20Blog/Buttons/BrownBlueButton125x125.png"/></a>

♥Thanks again for all your support and understanding♥

How to Make Homemade Maple Syrup

I've decided to revamp my Maple Syrup recipe. This one works much better for me and I didn't even use corn syrup, which makes this recipe even cheaper than my original. I've deleted my other Maple Syrup recipe and decided to stick with this one. It's fool proof, easy, and just as delicious. This maple syrup recipe also makes enough to fill a 24 fl. oz. bottle of syrup.

My little boys LOVE pancakes and waffles. They would eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I let them. Needless to say, we go through A LOT of maple syrup. I use to buy the one gallon size syrup bottles all the time. They usually cost me about $6 to $8 per gallon of maple syrup. Over the last year or so, I've spent {probably} about $40 worth of maple syrup. I wasn't kidding when I said we go through maple syrup very quickly. That's when I decided to start making my own maple syrup at a fraction of the price. It's easy and it tastes great!

Here's what you need:
3 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Water
1 1/2 tsp Maple Extract

* In a medium sauce pan, using low heat slowly bring your sugar and water to a simmer. Stir your sugar and water consistently. DO NOT let your mixture boil. Remove your pan from the stove the moment your mixture begins to simmer. If you let it boil, sugar crystals will form and your syrup will become grainy and too thick to pour. So, watch it carefully.

*Fresh off the stove, transfer your sugar mixture into another"cool" sauce pan. This will help cool your sugar mixture more quickly and it won't continue to cook, so that sugar crystals are less likely to form. Add your maple extract as your syrup begins to cool. You will want to stir it a few times as it cools. You will not need to refrigerate it, but you can if you want.

TIP: I poured my maple syrup into a used 24 fl. oz. syrup bottle that I kept from the last time a bought syrup. You know how much I like to reuse!


This post is linked to these AWESOME parties:
The Girl Creative: Just something I whipped up
Making the World Cuter
11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven
The Persimmon Perch: Made It Monday
Sumo's Sweet Stuff: Market Yourself
Keeping It Simple: Motivate Me Monday

PR Week Winners {May 19th - 21st}

Here are the winners of the PR WEEK. All winners will be chosen via Random.org. I will try to contact each winner via email or by blog comment. If the winner does not claim their winnings within 48 hours, I will pick another winner using Random.org. Thanks to everyone who joined me in PR WEEK on My Frugal Lifestyle and thanks to everyone who entered in this weeks giveaways.

Winner of the Klondike Beach Bag is.......


Oompaloompalove
Congratulatons and thanks for entering!


Winner of the $40 Gift Certificate to CSN Stores.com is.......


Laura {The Thrifty Wifey}
Hooray! You Won!!


Winners of the Horizon Organic Giveaway are......

Winner #1

Christie
Yippee! You just won the Horizon Organic Chico Bag, Rubiks Cube Keychain, and 2 FREE coupons for a half gallon and 2 coupons for $1.00 off their new chocolate milk.

Winner #2

Frugal Science Girl
Congrats girl! You just won 2 FREE coupons for a half gallon and 2 coupons for $1.00 off their new chocolate milk.

Winner #3

.jimaie.marie.
Woo Hoo! You just won 2 FREE coupons for a half gallon and 2 coupons for $1.00 off their new chocolate milk.


Winner of the *Sparkle Spot* Jewelry Giveaway is.....


kega
Hooray! I'm so glad you won!

How to Make Garlic Croutons

There is no way I can eat a salad without a little crunch to it. I gotta have my croutons! I love to make my own croutons at home. It's cheap and to me, they taste tons better than any other store bought kind in the store.




Here's what you need:
3 TBS Butter
1/4 cup Olive Oil
3 to 4 Garlic Cloves, pressed
Pinch of Black Pepper
Pinch of Salt
1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
6 Slices of Bread {Frugal Tip: Instead of throwing away the heels to your bread loaves, save them and use for croutons. That's what I do!}

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add your olive oil, garlic, and spices.

* Chop bread slices into large cubes {about 3/4 inch} and place in a mixing bowl. Once your butter is melted and sauce is warm, pour into mixing bowl with bread cubes.

* Place a piece of foil down unto a baking sheet and spread out your bread cubes. Bake for 20 minutes, but when you hit the 10 minute mark, mix and toss your croutons so that they can bake evenly.


Frugal Tip: I usually buy croutons at the store for around $2.00 a box. That's not a bad price and still easy on the budget. But, by making mine at home and using the heels from my bread loaves, I figured that my croutons cost me less than $0.99, which is awesome!

How to Make a Sports Fan T-Shirt with Duct Tape

Gimme a "G"! Gimme an "O"!
LET'S GO ARCO ANARCHY!!

Okay seriously, my friends and family are going to have a good chuckle when they see this post, because they all know about it already! Ha ha! My husband plays semi-pro football and to help support him and let him know that his kids {and I, of course} are his #1 fans, we have gone out of our way to buy our entire family the teams t-shirts and sweatshirts. The one major downfall when buying team shirts and jersey's {whether it's to support your high school team or for example, your hubby plays football at the age of 31! Ha ha .... Sorry babe, I just had to sneak that jab in because I love ya so much}, is that they never have small enough sizes for the toddlers and babies. Unless you specially order it and often times, that can cost you a bundle.

I decided to "design" my littlest guy, Dean {almost 2}, his own t-shirt so that he could hang out with the rest of us cool football fans. Anarchy's colors are black and silver, so I went out and bought a cheap plain black t-shirt for around $3 or so. I rounded up some duct tape from our garage and went to work on the t-shirt. I cut small strips and pieces from the duct tape and began "designing" our last name and my hubby's football number.

This is what I came up with and it worked great! I was afraid after a few hours of him wearing the shirt that the tape would start to peel off, but it didn't budge. What a cheap little project! I think I might have to do this with some of our other shirts. This would also work great for any sports event that you want to support, or a great girls camp idea, and more. Hey, you could even do this on the bum of your sweatpants. Kind of like how 'Juicy' or 'Victoria Secrets' does their sweatpants. You can buy different colored duct tapes too. I've seen them mostly at office supply stores and I've been able to come across bright pink, white, black, green, yellow, and blue.

Once, Dean was done wearing his sports fan t-shirt, I was able to easily peel off the tape without it leaving any residue behind or stretching out the shirt. I'm definitely going to do this t-shirt idea again.


This post is linked to these AWESOME parties:
The Girl Creative: Just Something I Whipped Up
Making the World Cuter
The Persimmon Perch: Made It Monday
Sumo's Sweet Stuff: Market Yourself
Skip To My Lou: Made By You
Super Stinky Boys: Mad Skills
A Soft Place To Land: Do It Yourself Day
A Silly Little Sparrow: Toot Your Horn
Today's Creative Blog: Get Your Craft On
Reinventedkb: Trash to Treasure
Delicious Ambiguity: Tot Tuesday
Tip Junkie: Show and Tell
All Thingz Related: Anything Related
I am a Money Magnet: Thrifty Tip
Coupon Stimulus Package
The Thrifty Home: Penny Pinching Party
We are THAT Family: Works for me Wednesday
Blue Cricket Design: Show and Tell
My Backyard Eden: Make It Yours Day
Trendy Treehouse: Creative Sharing
Sew Much Ado: We Did It!
Women Who Do It All: Idea Sharin'
Me and My Bucket: Show us What Your Workin' With
Bobby Pins Boardwalk: The Boardwalk Bragfest
Someday Crafts: Whatever Goes
Creations by Kara: Look What I Made
Somewhat Simple: Strut Your Stuff
Life as Lori: Get Your Craft On
The Shabby Chic Cottage: Transformation Thursday
Tales from Bloggeritaville: Thrifty Thursday
Fireflies and Jellybeans: Show off your Stuff
733 Blog: Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
The Virginia House: We Can do it Cheaper

Subscribe Via Email to My Frugal Lifestyle

I've had several emails the last few weeks asking if I had an option on my blog for people to subscribe to My Frugal Lifestyle via Email. I guess it never occurred to me that people without blogs or google accounts would like to read my posts and be updated whenever I posted something new. Thanks to all of you who emailed me and brought this subject to my attention.

I went straight to work this morning, trying to figure out how people can subscribe to My Frugal Lifestyle. I'm going to be using Feedburner to do this. It was quite easy to get it all hooked up and ready for use. So, as of today, anyone and everyone can subscribe to My Frugal Lifestyle via their email. This means that if you subscribe to my blog, you will get an email every time I post something new. Yeah!!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

*Sparkle Spot* Jewelry Giveaway {CLOSED}Your Choice of Anything in Their Store!

**This giveaway is now closed! The winner is kega! Congrats girl! I need you to contact me at: my_frugal_lifestyle@yahoo.com with your mailing info. Thank you to everyone who participated and entered in this giveaway!**



*Sparkle Spot* Jewelry Giveaway has been extended to May 30th! Hooray!
Enter to Win *Sparkle Spot* Jewelry Giveaway!
Winner gets to pick ANY ONE ITEM from *Sparkle Spot* Zibbet Shop or Blog!!

About a month ago, I won a giveaway from *Sparkle Spot* over at Fireflies and Jellybeans. I couldn't wait to get my new watch and watchband in the mail. When it finally arrived, I couldn't resist wearing it at that very moment. As someone who has a piece of Sparkle Spot's jewelry, I can actually say that their jewelry is absolutely beautiful and exquisite! They color coordinate their jewelry perfectly! They have necklaces, watches & watchbands, button rings, chunky bracelets and they even make their own lotions and body sprays! Pretty cool, huh?

Now until June 1st, *Sparkle Spot* is having an awesome Memorial Day Sale. When you go to order from their Zibbet Shop, just punch in the code FRUGAL at checkout and you can get 25% off your order.

Also too, the ladies from *Sparkle Spot* wanted to let all you crafters out there know about using Zibbet as your go to/one stop shop for selling your crafts. You can have a free 7 day trial with a premium account by using FREETRIAL in the coupon code. So, if Etsy isn't working out for you, using the free 7 day trial would be a great way too see if Zibbet is right for you and your shop.

Now, on to the good stuff. Lucky for one of you, *Sparkle Spot* is giving away any piece of jewelry or lotion/Body Spray from their Zibbet Shop or Blog of your choosing. Hooray! One winner will be chosen and that winner can hand pick anything from Sparkle Spot's Shop. These ladies are being way too generous!

You can have up to 6 separate entries. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Mandatory Entry: Visit Sparkle Spot's Zibbet Shop and tell me what you would love to get your hands on.

Extra Entries {Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry}

2. Visit Sparkle Spot's Blog and become a follower.

3. Leave Sparkle Spot a comment on their blog.

4. Become a follower of My Frugal Lifestyle. If you are already a follower, leave a comment saying you are.

5. Follow My Frugal Lifestyle on Twitter. If you already follow MFL on Twitter, leave a comment saying you do.

6. Vote for me on TopMommyBlogs. All you have to do is click and you've voted!


This giveaway will end Sunday, May 30th at Midnight {MST}. All entries after that will become void and deleted. One winner will be chosen via Random.org.

Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk Plus DHA Omega-3Product Review & Giveaway {CLOSED}

**This giveaway is now closed! Three winners have been chosen. Winner #1 - Christy * Winner #2 - Frugal Science Girl * Winner #3 - .jimaie.marie. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated and entered into the giveaway!**



Enter to win a Chico Bag, Free Coupons, and more from Horizon Organic!
Three lucky winners will be chosen!

My little boys, Ty {4} and Dean {almost 2} are avid chocolate milk drinkers. It's the first thing they ask for in the morning and the last thing they ask for before going bed. If I would let them drink chocolate milk all day long, they would be the happiest little guys in the world. For as much chocolate milk that is consumed in my home, I've always wondered how nutritious is our chocolate milk? I know milk is really good for your kids, but how good?

I was given 2 coupons to use for 2 free half gallons of Horizon Organic's New Chocolate Milk plus DHA Omega-3. I couldn't wait to try out Horizon Organic new Chocolate Milk. Of course, my kids were my little taste testers and they slurped it down in two-point-five seconds and then pestered me for more.
I had no problem giving them seconds of the Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk. Now that they've added DHA Omega-3, which is an important nutrient that helps support heart, brain and eye health, I know that my kids are drinking something very healthy and nutritious. DHA also provides a nutritional boost for children's growing minds and bodies. Once my little taste testers had some, I had to try it out for myself. It is so delicious! It's creamy and not too chocolatey. It's tasted really good!

Thanks to Horizon Organic for letting me try their new chocolate milk and I will definitelybe buying more in the future. Now, here's where we get to the fun stuff! Horizon Organic is giving away some great coupons and more to 3 lucky My Frugal Lifestyle readers.

Here's what the winner's will receive:
Winner 1: Two FREE coupons for a half gallon and 2 coupons for $1.00 off. Plus a Horizon Organic Chico Bag and a Rubik's Cube Key chain.

Winner 2 & 3: Two FREE coupons for a half gallon and 2 coupons for $1.00 off.

You can have up to 5 separate entries for a chance to win. Please a separate comment for each entry.

1. Mandatory Entry: Visit Horizon Organic and tell me what dairy product would you be most willing to purchase and try from them.

Extra Entries {Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry}

2. "Like" Horizon Organic on Facebook.

3. Become a follower of My Frugal Lifestyle. If you are already a follower, please leave me a comment saying you are.

4. Follow My Frugal Lifestyle on Twitter. If you already follow MFL on Twitter, please leave a comment saying you do.

5. Vote for me on TopMommyBlogs. All you have to do is click and you've voted for me!

This giveaway will end Thursday, May 27th at Midnight {MST}. Any entries after that will become void and deleted. 3 lucky winners will be chosen via Random.org.

CSN Stores Giveaway for a $40 Gift Certificate {CLOSED}

**This giveaway is now closed! The Winner is Laura {The Thrifty Wifey}! Congratulations Laura! I want to thank everyone who participated and entered!**

Have any of you heard of CSN Stores.com? This website is amazing! They have 200+ stores and they sell anything from TV Stands to home decor to baby accessories and toys to shoes and pet accessories. They have a hassle free return policy and free shipping on just about everything!
CSN Stores is giving away a $40 Gift Certificate to one lucky My Frugal Lifestyle reader. You can use it any of their 200+ stores. Pretty sweet, huh? I'd like to think so!

You can have up to 5 separate entries. Please leave a comment for each and every entry.

1. Mandatory Entry: Check out CSNStores.com TV Stands store and tell me what TV stand you would love to have in your home.

Extra Entries {Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry}
2. Become a follower of My Frugal Lifestyle. If you are already a follower, please leave a comment saying that you are.

3. Follow My Frugal Lifestyle on Twitter. If you are already following on Twitter, please leave a comment saying that you are.

4. Vote for me on TopMommyBlogs. All you have to do is click to vote for me.

5. Blog about this giveaway. Please leave me a URL link to your post, not your homepage.

This giveaway will end Thursday, May 27th at Midnight {MST}. Any entries after that will become void and deleted. One lucky winner will be chosen via Random.org.

Klondike Steamer PotatoesProduct Review & Beach Bag Giveaway {CLOSED}

**The giveaway for the Klondike Beach Bag is now closed! The winner has been chosen and it is ....... Oompaloompalove. Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway!**


Enter to win a Free Klondike Beach Bag!

Between getting your kids ready for school, grocery shopping, doctor visits, your job, soccer practice, dance recitals, and taking your dog to the vet, before you know it, your day is gone in a blink. You're exhausted and as soon as you come home you have to figure out what to make your family for dinner. Ugh!
Klondike Steamer Potatoes are convenient and easy. Just throw the whole bag into your microwave and within 4 to 6 minutes your baby potatoes are done and ready to serve. Pretty cool, huh?


Klondike Brands offer more than just fresh steamer potatoes, but I was able to try out 4 different kinds of their steamer potatoes and I loved them. They have:

*Mesquite Smoked Bacon
*Three Chile
*Roasted Garlic Butter
*Four Cheese

The four cheese flavored was my family's favorite! The potatoes where a little on the crunchy side. So, if you like slightly crunchy potatoes {kind of like el dente}, then you'll absolutely love them. But, on my second bag, I just added an extra minute to the microwave and they turned out perfect for us. I thought that there could have been a little more sauce added to the bags, but my kids and I are odd balls and we love having things drenched in sauce.

I would definitely recommend these fresh steamer potatoes to any busy family. Each bag of potatoes would supply enough potatoes for a family of 3 to 4 people. Remember that these are not designed as a main meal, but a great complement as a side dish or even a yummy snack.

Go check out Klondike Brands website. There you will find great recipes and awesome coupons. You will need to sign up to receive their coupons and promotions. It's really easy to sign up too. Klondike Brands steamer potatoes are found all over the U.S., but if you live in the Idaho Falls area, you can find them at:

Walgreen's 17th & Holmes
Walgreen's Ammon
Walgreen's Rexburg
Ridley's Grocery Stores
Albertson's in Ammon & 17th St.

Now, onto the good stuff! Klondike Brands is also giving one of My Frugal Lifestyle readers an opportunity to win a beach bag. This beach bag is great for any mom on the go or it would make a great diaper bag. It has tons of pockets to store anything and everything you may need to carry. The beach bag will also have the Klondike potatoes logo on it, which isn't pictured here.

You can have up to 6 separate entries. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Mandatory Entry: Head on over to Klondikebrands.com and tell me what sounds delicious to you.

Extra Entries {Leave a separate comment for each entry}

2. Join Klondike on Facebook

3. Sign-up with Klondike Potatoes HERE to receive new coupons and promo's. They will send you a confirmation email to activate your account. My confirmation email was sent to my spam email, so if you don't see it right away, check your spam mail. You'll probably find it there.

4. Follow My Frugal Lifestyle with Google Friend Connect. You can find it on my sidebar. If you're already a follower, please leave a comment letting me know that you do.

5. Follow My Frugal Lifestyle on Twitter. If you already follow on Twitter, please leave a comment letting me know you do.

6. Copy and paste this URL link: http://myfrugallifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/05/klondike-steamer-potatoes-product.html and submit it to Klondike's blog. You'll notice on the right hand side you can submit a link and then you can enter the URL. You'll have to have an account with Klondike to do this. Once you've entered my URL link, YOU will be entered in their giveaway for a chance to win $100 Visa Gift Card. Plus, you will also be entered again in my giveaway for the beach bag.
{NOTE: If you have tried submitting the link and it gives you an error. No worries! At least you tried, right? Let me know that you tried to enter the link and you'll still get your entry!}

This giveaway will end Wednesday, May 26th at Midnight {MST}. All entries after that will become void and deleted. One lucky winner will be chosen via Random.org. I reviewed this product and this is my own honest personal opinion. I in no way received money or will be making money from this product review.