christmas – Page 3 – Luv Saving Money

Gift Ideas For The Cook or Foodie

For the Foodie or Home Chef

I’ve developed an interest in trying new recipes. Pinterest has become a daily visit for me. I love finding recipes for new desserts, appetizer, meal ideas, and sides to try for my family. There’s been a combination of things that have really sparked this interest though and they make great gift ideas.

I’m breaking the holiday guide 2019 into categories. Welcome to the chef and foodie holiday guide.

Instant Pot

For a while I felt like every time I clicked on a recipe I was interested in it was an Instant Pot recipe. I didn’t know what the big deals was with Instant Pots. Finally, after a coworker started telling me about this great recipe and why I needed an instant pot I gave in. I decided if I saw a deal on one I’d go ahead and grab it. After all it would benefit my family. Honestly, a couple days after I found a deal on a refurbished Instant Pot Lux 6 qt for $40. I used it so much. I realized with my family of 6 I’d do better with an 8 qt. I found a deal on the Instant Pot DUO 8 qt and grabbed that too. I’ve since inspired many family members and a few friends to either buy one or pull theirs out of the closet.

Instant Pot DUO is available in 3 qt, 6 qt, and 8 qt.

So why an Instant Pot? I asked myself the same question. Instant Pots are more than pressure cookers. The Instant Pot DUO in particular has the follow features: saute, slow cooker, pressure cooker, warming, steam, and yogurt. The last feature is the reason I upgraded to a DUO. Not all Instant Pots have the yogurt function. My Instant Pot saves me time and clean up. That’s because I can saute the onions or meat in the pot then add the ingredients. So many one pot recipes.

If your recipient already has an Instant Pot there are TONS of Instant Pot accessories out there. I definitely have some Instant Pot Accessories on my holiday wish list. There’s also lot of instant pot cookbooks.

Misfits Market Box

I love this box for so many reasons. I’m going to list them here for you:

All fruits and vegetable are certified organic and non-gmo
Helps eliminate food waste in the US by using less-than-perfect produce that would otherwise be looked over
Uses compostable packaging and boxes are made from recycled cardboard
Budget friendly, affordable way to have organic and non-gmo produce shipped right to your home
You get to choose your delivery day
2 different box sizes to choose from
You get to try produce you may not have otherwise tried
they offer job opportunities to those that sometimes find it difficult to find work and pay a living wage.

The more I learn about this company the happier I am that i found this company. I chose the Madness box with biweekly deliveries for my family of 6. Misfits Market Box has helped my family try new things and helped me try new recipes to add to my families meals. We’ve tried jicama, turnips, fennel, and romanesco broccoli. We also get things like onions, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, carrots, and lots more. One of the fun things is not knowing exactly what produce you’ll receive. I did a fun Misfits Market Madness box unboxing video on the YouTube channel if you’d like to see an example.

If you’d like to try it for yourself you can get a discount off your first Misfits Market box through my referral link.

Misfits Market box also has gifting options. You can either send a box to your recipient immediately or you can get an egift card with redemption code to give to your recipient so they can redeem it on their own time.

Raw Spice Bar

This is an awesome gift idea for the person that loves their kitchen gadgets so much they already have them all. Think you’re being clever by getting the angry momma steam microwave cleaner, well think again, they already have TWO. Every chef could use more rubber spatulas right? Wrong, they have 20 and have been giving them away.

But spices, spices are the answer. Raw Spice Bar allows you to buy fresh grounds spices and have them sent to your home. Make a one time order or subscribe to get fresh spices each month. As a gift, Raw Spice Bar has the option to gift a spice set or gift a spice subscription.

This is a great way to get fresh spices and try new spices. For the true foodie or home chef this is the gift they won’t want to return.

spices-spice-sets-spice-subscription-gifts-organic-paleo-vegan-keto-gluten-free

Lovable Labels

Some people think of labels as a simple way to mark toy bins, clothing, school supplies, etc so they don’t get lost or are easy to find. Lovable Labels does have labels for all that but did you know they also make awesome kitchen labels too!

My absolute FAVE product is the Date It! labels I LOVE using these to mark left overs in the fridge. You can write whatever you want on them. The name of the food and the date. You can use them for work to put your name on your lunch. They’re washable, dishwasher and microwave safe, and can be use again and again. They are several different designs to choose from. You can use the wet erase marker available on the Lovable labels site or I like to use a china marker with mine.

Lovable Labels also has canning labels, pantry labels, spice labels, and more. Oh hey you could get the spice subscription I mentioned and the spice labels!

Avoseedo 2.0 is an easy way to grow your own avocado tree. It’s also pretty cute too. Read more about Avoseedo 2.9 on my Avoseedo 2.0 review post and be on the lookout for a giveaway!

This post does contain affiliate links. I will get a small commission from sales made through my links. Any opinions expressed are my own.

12 Pearls of Christmas: Day 3

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas blog series!

Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.

We’re giving away a pearl necklace in celebration of the holidays, as well as some items from the contributors! Enter now below. The winner will be announced on January 2, 2014, at the Pearl Girls blog.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl, Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace, or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

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The Magic of a Christmas Moment
by: Sarah E. Ladd

Ah, it’s Christmas! Just the mention of the word makes me think of twinkling trees, steaming wassail, glistening snowflakes, and happy childhood memories.

One Christmas Eve, when my sister and I were quite small, my parents were trying to get us to go to sleep. Of course, we were far too excited to think about sleep! We double checked our stockings and strained our ears to see if we could hear reindeer hooves prancing on the roof. I can still remember my mom saying, “Santa can’t come until you are asleep!”

And then—it happened!

We looked out of our kitchen window, and what should we see? Through our neighbor’s window, we saw HIM . . . Santa Claus . . . doing the dishes! Santa was only one house away! My sister and I could not believe our eyes. Within a flash, we were in our beds, blankets pulled up to our chins, eyes pressed tight in hopes we would fall asleep so Santa could stop by our house!

Of course, it took several years for us to realize that “Santa” was our neighbor hosting a Christmas party, but even after all these years I can still remember the excited thrill of that moment. Even to this day the memory brings a smile to my face, and every Christmas, someone always says, “Hey, remember the year we saw Santa doing dishes?”

As Christmas approaches, it is easy to get caught up on the busyness of the season. Shopping, cooking, traveling—it can be a hectic time of year, with crazy schedules and hurried timelines. But in the bustle of the season, do not forget to keep your eyes open for the magic in the simplest moments, especially if you have young children or grandchildren. Those special memories are gifts that last a lifetime, and just like that Christmas many years ago, it would have been very easy not to take a moment to look out the window. Keep your heart and your eyes open . . . you never know what magic you will find in Christmas moments.

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Sarah E. Ladd has more than ten years of marketing experience. She is a graduate of Ball State University and holds degrees in public relations and marketing. The Heiress of Winterwood was the recipient of the 2011 Genesis Award for historical romance. Her second novel, The Headmistress of Rosemere, releases December 2013. Sarah lives in Indiana with her amazing husband, sweet daughter, and spunky Golden Retriever. Learn more at her website or follow her on Facebook. Also, be sure to stop by for your chance to win 8 Christian Fiction novels by some of your favorite authors! Follow this link to enter the Christian Fiction Christmas Giveaway.

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My Top 10 Blogger Christmas List

Dear Santa,

I’ve been working very hard on my blog this year. I’ve been steadily reaching milestone goals on my own but I do have a few wishes if you have time. I’ve been professional and hit my deadlines (well most of the time). I’ve done charitable posts and helped spread messages for help on my social media. When I have a generous sponsor I donate the extra or share.

1. Can you finally get my blog to a PR4 I’ve been sitting at a 3 forever!

2. 10,000 page views in a month, is that too much to ask?

3. My facebook page is getting so close to 10,000 can you maybe get your elves to like it? Even Mrs. Claus if she’s not too busy

4. Can you find a way to make Google quit changing their rules all the time? That would be amazing

5. My Alexa score, maybe you can let it drop below 100,000 just for a couple days

6. I love my clients but I have more love to give, maybe you could throw some more of my favorite brands my way. I know you have the hook up with Playskool, Fisher Price, Microsoft or Apple, maybe even Chevy? I don’t want to be greedy, I’ll be grateful for any of them, I have a few more if you need, just ask 😉

7. Going Viral, it’s not a bad thing. Kinda sounds like it but it’s not. Well I guess it could be but I want a post to go viral for all the right reason. I only need 1!

8. I need a really good camera. I’ve been happy with my affordable digital cameras but man I’d really like one of those Canon Rebels or something along those lines. I’m not choosey. When you start fulfilling some of these wishes I’m really gonna need it then.

9. What video editing software do you use at the North Pole? My YouTube videos need help and I know it.

10. How about a quiet addition onto the house where I can blog with minimal disturbances? It doesn’t have to be big

Some Holiday Money (and stress) Saving Tips

I’m a big fan of starting my holiday shopping early. I consider early like the end of September or beginning of October. And…yes, I have already started. What are the benefits of starting early? Money and stress savings.

1. No long lines.

2. Most of the items are in stock

3. You can watch through sales throughout the year.

4. Earn rewards from your shopper cards (like the toys r us rewards r us card for example) then use your rewards to shop for those last minute items closer to the holidays when money might be a bit tighter.

5. I’m a fan of mypoints. Earn mypoints throughout the year. I’ll be cashing in my mypoints here soon. With the points I earned I plan on cashing them in for a $100 Gamestop gc to buy my 2 older boys the hot video games this year. I’ll buy them now and they won’t be sold out closer to christmas.

6. I have my kids write their christmas list the beginning of October. I start getting in mind what they want their main gift to be. (As well as listening to all those “mommy i want that’s” throughout the year) Don’t go overboard though. If you do it once or twice then can’t do it another year there’s disappointment. Also, if you start shopping early it’s easy sometimes to say, well, i have the money so maybe I’ll go ahead and get this too. No, stick your plan.

7. If at all possible, don’t use a credit card unless your planning on paying it off right away. The big credit card bills I’ve heard people talk about that come after the holidays is a major stresser. Budget throughout the year. Set money aside. Start a holiday club account. Whatever you need to do. Plus you end up paying interest on your purchases.

8. I am NOT a fan of Black Friday. Sure there’s some good deals out there but most of the time the deals are limited to so many per store. Items are out of stock. People are pushy. Anxiety sets in when you realize they just sold out of juniors top item on his wishlist then you’re searching everywhere for it until 5 days before christmas. To me, not worth it.

I know, I know, some of you daredevils say it’s the thrill of the sales. I’ve heard friends and coworkers say “it’s a tradition”. Whatever your reason it’s your choice. Me, I like to relax on Black Friday thinking only about the last few stocking stuffers I need to get and when I’m going to start wrapping.

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