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Easy to Make Mother’s Day Cakes

by Frugal Simplicity

Easy to Make Mother’s Day Cakes

Moms are like most people. They get pleasure from a treat now and then. You can put together one of these frugal and easy to make Mother’s Day cakes for Mom and everyone else in the family to enjoy.  Choose one of these easy to make Mother’s Day cakes if you want to impress Mom this year. Both are easy to make but taste wonderful. Either will be a treat Mom will love.

This cake doesn’t even require baking. How easy is that? In fact, it’s so easy even the children can make it.

Ingredients:

* 1 pre-made pound cake (10 ¾ ounces)
* 1 box (3 1/8 ounces) instant pudding in Mom’s favorite flavor
* 1 cup whipped topping
* Fruit of choice (bananas and strawberries are good choices)
* Chilled chocolate syrup

Instructions:

Begin by cutting the pound cake into several horizontal slices of about an inch thick each. Make the pudding according to the directions on the box and then mix in the whipped topping. Chop up the fruit in slices.

Place a layer of cake in the bottom of a glass loaf pan. Put a layer of fruit over the cake and then spoon some pudding over the fruit. Continue layering the cake, fruit and pudding mixture until the final layer of cake is placed. Finish by spreading pudding over the top of the cake.

Cover the cake loosely and then place it in the refrigerator for several hours. Decorate the cake with “Happy Mother’s Day” written in frosting and add some extra sliced strawberries or candy on top. When you serve the cake, squeeze chilled chocolate syrup over the cake. Enjoy!

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This next cake is called a “Granny cake” but Mom will love it, too!

Ingredients:

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* ½ teaspoon salt
* ½ teaspoon ground gloves
* ¾ cup softened butter
* 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 6)
* 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple (undrained)
* 3 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 1 cup finely chopped pecans
* Powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions:

Begin by greasing and flouring a 10-inch fluted tube pan and set it aside. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and cloves in a medium mixing bowl. Set this aside also.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 30 seconds with an electric mixer set on medium. Add the bananas, pineapple, eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until it’s combined. Then beat the mixture on medium speed for 1 minute. Finish by folding in the chopped pecans. Spread in the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 70 to 75 minutes in an oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. The cake is finished baking when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack for 10 minutes before you remove it from the pan. Cool thoroughly and then sift powdered sugar over the cake to serve, if desired.

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Over 8,000 Recipes (45 Cookbooks) on our Cooking Recipes CD

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You’ll have thousands and thousands of mouthwatering, yummy, delicious recipes, for any occasion! Whether you want to cook up a romantic dinner for two, cater for business, plan a party, or make a meal for the family….these cookbooks have what you want!

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Cheap Family Thanksgiving Travel Ideas

Traveling for the holidays can be expensive, as many people travel and transportation providers like to raise the prices in anticipation. You can get great deals on Thanksgiving travel, however, if you are prepared to do the research and plan a couple of months in advance. Do not snap up the first tickets you find, rather shop around and compare prices. You may find that by comparing prices you will spend less.

Planning in advance is your best bet for scoring cheap travel tickets for airlines and trains alike. As the flights fill up, ticket prices rise, all but guaranteeing that you will be paying more for your tickets as the holiday draws closer. It is always a good idea to plan your holiday travels in advance, months in advance if possible.

Try to take time off of work so you can fly on non-peak days and save even more money. Many people will fly the day before Thanksgiving and return home the following Sunday. If you can be a bit flexible with your dates, it may be a good idea to fly out on Tuesday and return home on Monday instead.

If you are driving to your destination, be sure to map out the lowest gas prices along your way. Gasbuddy.com is a great website that lists nearly all of the gas stations in an area and the price of the gas per gallon. This will help you to determine where the lowest gas prices are and it will help to cut your traveling costs.

On road trips, you will also need to eat. Take advantage of coupons to lessen the costs of your meals. Another option is to pack a picnic basket full of sandwiches or other similar items to snack on while driving.

If you find that you cannot afford a hotel, you might be able to exchange homes with someone for the duration of your vacation. Homeexchange.com requires a membership, but also guarantees that you will be able to swap homes with another member in the first year, otherwise your second year is free.

Home Exchange lists houses in a variety of countries. The way it works is that you pick a country, find a listing that you are interested in, and contact the member. It is that simple. It is a good alternative to renting a costly hotel room so as long as you do not mind sharing your home. This option does come with some risks, however, so please do your research before getting involved.

Thanksgiving travel is coming up right around the corner. Start preparing your travel plans now so that you can keep your costs as low as possible. It does not matter if you are traveling by airplane, car or train; there are significant ways for you to save money if you know where to look.

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Frugal Family Vacations

by Frugal Simplicity

Frugal Family Vacations

Everybody loves a nice, relaxing, vacation. The family vacation gives us a chance to focus on family and spend some quality time together. Unfortunately, sometimes the family vacation can be costly. Especially, if you have a large family.

Including a vacation in your plans can be a challenge on a tight budget. For those of you who want to get in that family quality time, yet don’t have the finances for an extravagant vacation, here are some frugal family vacation tips. Since the goal here is to get the most fun for your money, let’s talk about some frugal and low cost vacation ideas and tips that could be right for your family.

1. Camping: A great low cost option for families that enjoy the outdoors. Don’t worry, you don’t have to sleep in a tent. There are lots of state parks that rent cabins for a very reasonable fee. As an added bonus, when you are registered at a state park, you gain free entrance into all state parks.

2. Beach It: If you want to beach it, be sure to check out all your options for lodging. Sometimes a large family can do better by renting a condo or home for the week rather than staying at a hotel. Remember, you can save a tremendous amount of money if you can prepare your own meals while on vacation. A good portion of a families vacation budget can be literally “eaten up”! Even a little kitchenette in a suite can save you big bucks. If you’re campers, you can almost always find a campground near popular beach areas and get maximum savings on lodging.

3. Low Cost Lodging: Don’t forget your best resources, friends and family. Ask around to see if anyone has visited an area you plan to go. You may get lucky and have a “friend that has a friend” who maybe has a vacation spot they wouldn’t mind renting to you for a lesser fee. Sometimes people won’t rent out their vacation spots for various reasons, but don’t mind doing so if the tenant is a trusted acquaintance of a friend or family member.

4. Visit Friends and Family: Plan to visit friends and family that live far away, or even those that live close, and you rarely find the time to visit. In today’s fast paced society it’s not unusual for family and friends to lose touch. You’ll save money and get to catch up on what’s happening with friends and/or family that you haven’t visited recently. This will be fun for everyone and reinforce family togetherness.

Whatever you decide to do, if you’re traveling a great distance be sure to check all your travel options. With today’s soaring gas prices it’s not unlikely that you may be able to get there faster, and cheaper, in the air. Hey, maybe there’s a conspiracy here?

If all this just doesn’t fall into your category of “fun”, and you just have to have that exotic resort vacation, then at least be sensible about it. There are many great deals on vacation packages and off season rentals. And, oodles of travel agencies just waiting to tell you about them.

This is one area where do-it-yourself isn’t always the most practical advice. Travel agencies are privy to a lot of travel information, especially seasonal discounts, that you and I don’t have knowledge of. Do Your Research at least for goodness sake. You won’t be kicking yourself later when you come across that great deal you missed out on!

Check out your local travel agencies, as well as some of the many online agencies. Don’t forget, if you’re an AAA member you’re eligible for travel discounts. Before finalizing any plans, be sure to know your rights. What happens if you have to cancel? What is the deadline to cancel? Will you loose your deposit or is it refundable? Know your options.

Remember, the most important thing about family vacations is to spend quality time together. Have fun, and have a safe and happy frugal family vacation!

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Six Ways to Set Budgeting Priorities

For some of us, budgeting is second nature. For others, it seems a nearly impossible task. There are just so many things to consider that it’s hard to decide where your funds should go.

Setting priorities makes budgeting much simpler. But even this is difficult for many household money managers. Priorities are somewhat subjective, and those within the household often have vastly different priorities. Here are some ways that you can make priority setting a little easier:

1. Keep first things first. When it comes down to it, there are only a few things that we truly need to survive. These things include food, water, clothing and shelter. Transportation and other things that enable us to work and continue to make money also fall into this category. These should always come first in the budget, although it’s always a good idea to do our best to save money on them.

2. Keep savings in mind. We all need to put money aside for emergencies and set up a retirement fund. It’s also wise to set up a college fund for each of your children as early as possible. But many families push savings to the side, and it often ends up out of the picture altogether. Putting money away prior to any discretionary spending is crucial if you wish to meet your goals.

3. Evaluate your debts. If you have none, you’re in the lucky minority. Most households have large amounts of debt, including mortgages, car payments, loans and credit cards. By paying your debts off as quickly as possible, you can save lots of money in the long run. And once they’re paid in full, you’ll have a lot more wiggle room in your monthly budget. Putting as much money as you can afford toward paying off debt will help you reach that point much faster.

4. Set goals as a family. Maybe you would all like to go on a nice vacation next summer. Get everyone involved in deciding where to go, then calculate your expenses. Get everyone involved in saving money for this goal. Not only will you get to go on a family trip, you’ll also be teaching your children about budgeting and teamwork.

5. Review your budget periodically. A family’s needs change over time, and if your budget is no longer meeting your needs, it’s time for a change. Once again, you’ll need input from everyone in the family to make this work.

Priorities are at the heart of a successful budget. By keeping them in mind, we can resist impulse spending and make progress toward our financial goals. And by getting input from the entire family, you can gain valuable insight into individual needs and encourage interest in working together to keep your finances in good shape.

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