Mixes in a Jar – Making baking a little easier

Image via Wikipedia

I love to bake.  I try to make muffins for my kids at least once a week.  Cookies are always a favorite around here also, although we are trying to eat healthy.

Many of you have seen people selling mixes in a jar.  I’ve seen them, too.  Lately I’ve decided to use them to make my baking at home a little easier.   Why not save some time when I have all the ingredients out to make a batch of muffins?  It’s just as easy to mix several batches of the dry ingredients and put them in quart jars for later.  I always have extra quart jars around the house.  I started a small spiral-bound notebook with the directions for adding the liquid ingredients & baking instructions.  All I have to do is label the jar with whatever kind of mix it is.  When I want to bake a batch of muffins or cookies, I simply turn to that page & follow the directions!  Simple.  It also saves me a little time and mess.  You could do this with brownies, quick breads, whatever!  Next time you make a batch of cookies or muffins,  measure out the dry ingredients for several more batches & put them in  quart jars.  The kids have fun helping, too.  I try to keep several different mixes in the pantry so the kids have some input on what I bake.  It is a win/win for everyone!

Has this ever happened to you?

Image via Wikipedia

Our family had a wedding out-of-town this weekend.  We decided to make a weekend out of it, so I booked a room at a hotel with a pool.  We stopped to eat about 2/3 of the way down and that’s when I noticed what had happened.  I made sure I had packed dress clothes for everyone in the family, but my outfit for the wedding was not in the car!  Has something like this ever happened to you?

I am a mom who only works part-time.  This is a decision I made several years ago.  I make enough to buy the groceries and I am home when my children are home.  This eliminated 95% of my daycare costs while still allowing me to contribute to the family financially.  However, it does not leave a lot left over for extras.

Since we were splurging on the hotel room in the first place, I felt I should not go out & spend oodles on a new outfit for the wedding.  So, I got online & found the town we were in had a Salvation Army Thrift Store!  Yea!  We headed over there where I was able to purchase slacks, a blouse, and a sweater vest for under $10 (I was glad I didn’t have to buy shoes)!  This was awesome!  I never was one to go out and buy a lot of new clothes and I will be able to wear these all winter to church, etc.  Since I had the twins, I’ve learned to be more frugal and less picky about  clothes.  Who cares if we have the latest styles & manufacturers.  We’re clean and decent looking.  That’s all that matters to us!