The school that my children attend is trying to find ways to meet their budget.  I’m going to be very open and honest in saying that I have never attended a school board meeting.  The school has felt the need to make many school budget cuts.  I realize that the school my children attend is not the only school in the country that is needing to make cuts. The purpose of this post is to ask you, if you’re school has gone through a similar situation.  If so, what did your school do to save money and meet budget?

Our school has eliminated many positions including teacher’s aides, special classes teachers (gym, art, etc), and laid off a few teachers.  They pushed 10 teachers to take early retirement and also to cut substitute teachers.  They also no longer have the field trips they used to have for the kids.  Each grade would go on one field trip a year.  Most of them small like a local farm, a circus, etc.  My oldest son however was supposed to go to Washington DC this year.  4th and 10th grade go on a day trip to Washington DC.  It’s not an overnight trip.  My son looked forward to the year he would get to go and now he doesn’t get to go.  I realize that fieldtrips are not the most important thing in the world but it was always something for the kids to look forward to . Still I know the school needs to make cuts but from my understanding a lot of the things like special classes will be pushed onto the already overloaded teachers.  I have to wonder how this will effect my kids’ education.

Many people in our school district are having mixed emotions.  Between anger, sadness, disbelief, and plain old helplessness.  I have to wonder if cuts could have been made other places before cutting jobs in our already depressed area.  I found a youtube video from a passionate parent in the school district.  I think he raises some good points.

I think it’s done tastefully which is why I posted this.  This is not an attack on my kids school or board.  As I stated I think it would be fantastic to hear what ideas you all have.  Things maybe that have worked for your school to save money.  I’d love to offer idea up to the school that would be workable or reasonable.

Recyclebank.com launched their newest challenge, Passport for the Planet, just in time for Earth month.  This new promotion they are offering will take you on a virtual trip around the world.  While on your virtual trip learn sustainable stories from other counties and earn up to 500 Recyclebank points! You’ll also earn chances to win over 100 prizes including 5 vacation trips.

Recyclebank members who earn the most point between April 2 and May 7 will win prizes.  Don’t worry if you’re not a member yet.  You can sign up for Recyclebank for FREE.  As a member you’ll also have the chance to earn more recyclebank points to trade in for rewards like coupons, gift cards, and more.  Search their site or search right here on Luv Saving Money the term “Recyclebank” to find even more point earning opps to get your closer to your rewards and earn points for the contest.

***I did not receive any compensation for this post.  I wrote this post as a part of the Recyclebank Insiders program.***

I was so excited to have the chance to try Purex new laundry detergent scent. Yes you read the title right, cookie scented Purex.  I really didn’t know what I would think about this product at first. I mean would I really want my clothes to smell like cookies?  There’s a lot worse scents I suppose.

My boys and I are really excited about MARVEL’s Avengers coming out on May 4th.  I received an email today with some previews for new LEGO MARVEL Avengers. My 8 year old was extremely excited.  You see not only does he want to see the movie but he’s also a very big LEGO fan.  I had to show you these movie posters:

Pretty cool huh?  Well we thought so.  You can also check out the really cool LEGO figures and sets coming out to coincide with the movie: http://marvel.com/news/story/18104/first_look_avengers_toys_from_lego

If you’re as excited as we are about the new movie you can head over to the facebook page and like it:
 http://www.facebook.com/MarvelsTheAvengers

I feel a lot better about buying a certain product if I know it supports a local baker, farmer, artisan, etc.  For instance, I prefer to buy things like ice cream and cheese that comes from a local dairy farm as opposed to a national chain brand.  When it’s not possible I support a company that I know gives back and supports a hard working farmer or other profession in the United States.

Did you know that Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice is 100% pure Florida oranges juice?  Here’s an interesting statistic, Tropicana is the largest buyer of Florida fruit, buying approximately 11.6 billion oranges from Florida each year.  11.6 billion oranges!  Can you imagine that many?  They buy from orange groves in 22 different Florida counties mostly in central and southern Florida. One of the reasons for this is that the different “micoclimates” and soils in each are means that oranges hit the peak of freshness at different times.  This allows Tropicana to buy fresh fruit all year long.  Some of their current grower relationships they have started around 1960.

Ok fun piece of info. Did you know that oranges have been grown in Florida since the 1560s? That’s approximately 147 years before any other state in the US.

Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice is a great way to bring the farm to the table.  I know my family and I love  Tropicana.

My family and I love to bring farm fresh food and drinks to our table.  Every year a local farm near us has a fall festival.  I take the kids to the farm and they get to go on a hay ride throughout the farm.  The ride takes nearly 40 minutes but the kids love it.  They get to see the actual cows that their milk and dairy products come from.  Then we stop at the dairy store that’s right on premises and buy some milk, ice cream, and cheese from the local farm.  The kids appreciate it so much more knowing the hard work that goes into it.  We continue to buy the milk from that particular farm throughout the year.  I remind the kids where it’s from.

I recently had the opportunity to buy fresh eggs from a local chicken farmer.  I’ll be honest I had never bought fresh eggs right off the farm before.  Do you  know what this farmer told me?  They said that often, by the time the eggs get to the store they could already be as much as a month old.  Wow, I didn’t know that.

Supporting your local farmers market is another great way to get fresh and quality fruits and veggies while eliminating the middle man.  I’m very lucky to have a fantastic produce market that should be opening up here very soon.  The people that own it go to Florida for the winter and come back when the weather is nice.  They get lots of fruit and veggies from local growers there too.  There is also a small farmer’s market near the hospital I work at.  It’s only 1 day a week over the summer but I try to stop there when I can.

Do you buy direct from farmers?  Do you frequent a local fruit stand? What is your favorite way to bring the farm to your table?

While you’re thinking about that, why don’t you head over to Tropicana’s facebook page where they have a cool sweepstakes.  Enter to win 100 Florida prizes including a 1 years supply of Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice and a trip to Florida to visit one of the orange groves.  Prize come in the form of (12) 59 oz Tropicana Pure Premium containers a trip to Florida for winner and 3 guests to include round trip airfar for 4 to Florida, 3 night stay at a Florida hotel, and an exclusive experience at a Florida orange grove.  For official rules and regs you can visit: http://www.facebook.com/Tropicana using the “sweeps” tab.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Tropicana blogging program, to earn My SocialMoms Rewards Points. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.