Free Printable Wedding Cards and Bridal Shower Invitations

If you're like me, you get invited to a lot of celebrations. There are secular ones--graduation, retirement, birthdays--and religious ones--holidays, first communion, baptism, weddings. I love giving gifts, but costs add up. So I use free printable greeting cards to save money. I wrote this article about free printable first communion cards, but the websites offer gobs of free printable wedding cards and invitations, bridal shower invitations, too! Free Printable First Holy Communion Cards and Invitations

Kitchen Utensils Wedding Presents and Bridal Shower Gifts Under $10

Good food depends on quality cooking utensils. Here is a list of must-have kitchen tools. Give these gifts to your favorite chef this holiday season. These kitchen utensils make ideal wedding gifts and bridal shower gifts. Each is priced at $3-$10 and easy on the budget.

mesh dipper: large scoop used to separate foods from hot water or oil. Also called a "spider"  in Asian cooking.

bamboo cooking utensils: Bamboo, unlike wood, is a quickly-renewable and great cooking. Use in place of wooden spoons; bamboo resists stains and food contamination.

silicone or rubber scraper: Scrapers made of plastic are useless. To cleanly scrape, the paddle must be made of silicone or rubber. Choose sets with several sizes, including a small, narrow scraper for getting inside containers with small openings.

palm chopper: Sharp crescent cutting blade works great for fine chopping nuts, vegetables, onions, tomatoes. Sheath keeps blade sharp and prevent cuts.

silicone/wire whisk: Whisks make excellent kitchen tools for mixing. Silicone whisks are easier to clean and don't rust. Wire whisks do a better job of thoroughly mixing.
 
 

cook's knife with honing case: These knives are sharpened by squeezing the sheath or cover and pulling the knife through. Available from The Pampered Chef in three sizes: paring, utility and chef's knife.

IKEA utility "slitbar"--Swedish for "knife"-- IKEA's products organized by Swedish name--mine's stayed sharp for four years!

Chop and scoop cutting board I have two sizes of these remarkable cutting boards. For the cook who likes portable cutting boards, they are ideal. Edges are curved up to prevent spills. The cutting board has a silicone handle and a narrowed edge for pouring chopped foods into cooking pan. To clean and sanitize this nylon cutting board, soak it in bleach water.


 Extra large stainless steel mixing bowl: Extra wide is good too--diameter of 18- 24 inches. Extra diameter provides plenty of work space. Dollar General sells a basic large stainless steel mixing bowl for $5.


For more on food and food preparation, visit my blog at www.greatfood4u.blogspot.com.

Free Printable Wedding Planners, Online Organizers, Shopping Checklists, Expense Sheets - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com

My husband and I paid for our own wedding ourselves with no help from family. We paid wedding expenses, including the honeymoon, beforehand and incurred no debt. The total cost for wedding plus reception was less than $1,800. Granted this was in 1987, but we could do it again now. We kept costs down, did many things ourselves, including wedding planning. Brides and grooms, if you're having a budget wedding, 1) well done! and 2) use these free printable wedding planners. Print organizers, gift registry trackers, shopping checklists, guides, schedules, calendars, budget tools and expense sheets to manage your big day.  Free Printable Wedding Planners, Online Organizers, Checklists, Expense Sheets 

Digital Receipts for Wedding Budgeting, Savings, Returns

Picture this, brides and grooms: the wedding flowers aren't right. You paid a bundle and need the receipt to return them. Annddd, you can't find it. Here you are trying to save money, keep in budget, not go into debt. But for lack of a tiny piece of paper (in the ocean of paperwork), that refund might be lost. Commence panic attack, argument, blaming over whose job it was to organize the receipts...in short, chaos! Well, with digital receipts, accessed from your smart phone, that crisis can be averted. I first used them at Menard's.  Read on  Digital Receipts Help with Returns, Book-Keeping

How I Lost 100 Pounds With Mind, Attitude and Habit Changes

I've lost almost 100 pounds. It's taken about two years. That sounds like a long time. But don't let that daunt you, fellow dieters. It took me longer because I didn't "crash" diet. Also, I lost weight faster the longer I stuck with it. Ergo, I learned to diet effectively. Losing weight meant changing several things. Here's how.  How to Lose 100 Pounds With Mind, Attitude and Habit Changes

Cheap, Easy, Fun Bridal Shower Mimosa Bar

Our oldest daughter got married in May and we threw her a bridal shower. She and her fiance live in Louisiana and frequent New Orleans. The Mimosa (an alcoholic cocktail) is a common menu item and my child has developed a taste for them. She wanted a mimosa bar for her bridal shower and found some ideas on Pinterest.  Our DIY Bridal Shower Mimosa Bar

Our Under $800 Wedding Reception, Frugal Yet Memorable

My husband and I paid for our own wedding and reception. Grandparents paid for food, but we covered everything else. And even though they bought food, we kept costs frugal. We paid everything off in advance, incurred no debt and charged nothing. Our cheap wedding reception cost under $800 for 150 people, including food, cake, decorations, music, flowers, equipment and hall rental. This was 27 years ago, but I could still do it today and so can you. Just follow our penny pincher example. My Cheap Wedding Reception Under $800

Save Money with Antique and Pawn Shop Wedding Rings

I'm a cheapskate. We did our whole wedding under $1,000. We're both old-fashioned and like vintage styles from different eras, particularly 1890s to 1930s. So when it came to the wedding rings, we did it simple and shoe-string. Try antique stores and pawn shops. You can find awesome bargains, like we did.  Vintage Bride, My Antique Wedding and Engagement Ring Set

Vintage (and Budget) Bride, Antique Wedding and Engagement Rings

Can't afford a big diamond, bride and groom to be? Don't you worry. No need to spend big, nor should you. Save it for the bills of married life. We paid only $160 for my antique set. And they have been securely on my finger for 26 years and counting. The middle diamond is very small. But I don't care. Better a humble carbuncle and a happy couple, than a skating rink and strife. Our oldest daughter and son-in-law loved our story so much that they got vintage rings at an art dealer in New Orleans when they got married last year.  Read moreVintage Bride, My Antique Wedding and Engagement Ring Set

Worst Oscars Red Carpet Fashion Fails--Too Much and Too Little Breast

 I don't pay a lot of attention to the Oscars, clearly, as I wrote this article inadvertently about last year's Oscar fashions. I confess to copping my schadenfreude fix off the red carpet. The biggest names in the business are vying for the right to have their gowns worn. And celebs presumably want to look nice. Sadly, many don't. Beautiful girls still look bad in the wrong dress. There are lessons to learn for the bride-to-be about choosing bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses. The biggest issue with this crop was breasts: too much or too little. Worst 2014 Oscars Red Carpet Fashion Fails--Too Much and Too Little Decolletage and Pink Burqas

Guest Advice Crafts for Bridal Shower

My youngest daughter and threw a bridal shower for the oldest last May. Besides be a ton of fun, we learned a lot about shower couture--thank you, Pinterest. A common activity is to have each guest write advice to the bride and groom on a household item and present it them as a gift. For lack of a better name, I call them "advice gift crafts." We found two cute ones, couldn't make up our minds and so did both. Wedding Shower Advice Gift Craft

 

Free Printable Valentine Crafts, Perfect for Weddings, Bridal Showers

Throwing a bridal shower? Why not use printable valentine crafts and clipart? You could do a Valentine wedding theme too. Same idea, cute decorations, inexpensive...I wish I'd thought of that when I got married! Here are printable s Free Printable Valentine Crafts

DIY Bridal Shower Mimosa Bar

Our oldest daughter got married in May and we threw her a bridal shower. They live in Louisiana and frequent New Orleans. The Mimosa (an alcoholic cocktail) is a common menu item and my child has developed a taste for them. She wanted a mimosa bar for her bridal shower and found some ideas on Pinterest. Here's how we did Our DIY Bridal Shower Mimosa Bar